How It Should Have Been
by Cheryblosom-chan
Summary: A revision of the story starting from the ending of The Vile Village. Dunclet, Kladora, and a surprise couple later on. Rated T for swearing. Putting this story from my Wattpad on here. The first book of my universe!
1. Escaping the Village

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

Fowl Fountain opened its secret doors, and Duncan and Isadora rushed out into the arms of Violet and Klaus.

"You figured it out," Isadora screamed happily.

"Of course we did! Isadora using your couplets was an amazing idea," Klaus replied as he released her from his tight hug.

"Oh, I can't take all the credit. Duncan figured out how to attach them to the crows."

Duncan and Violet were only barely listening. Klaus smirked slightly with amusement. He knew Violet had seen that interesting D.Q+V.B carving in the red herring statue, and now he watched as his sister stared at the journalist with a pink blush tinting her cheeks. Duncan was staring right back at her, his own face having turned pink as well.

"How did you guys find us in the first place," Duncan asked finally.

"We live here with our new guardian, Hector. We've spent the past few days looking for you. We found the red herring statue in the saloon so we knew you were close," Violet answered.

Duncan's face suddenly turned scarlet, "Uh, you didn't happen to see anything written inside?"

Violet smiled, "Didn't have time to examine it closely."

Duncan grinned nervously, "Ok, good."

Klaus could tell by the look in his sister's eyes that she definitely intended on telling him the truth later.

"Alright enough with the warm fuzzies you two, we need to get out of here if Count Olaf is still around," Isadora chimed in.

"We can't stay with Hector anymore either, everyone thinks we're murderers, we'll just have to leave town," Klaus said.

"Right, wait, where's Sunny," Violet asked looking around frantically for her baby sister.

"Mawo," Sunny shouted, she was standing by a building off to the side of the road.

Klaus grabbed Isadora's hand as Violet grabbed Duncan's hand, and the four of them ran over to her. The building turned out to be an abandoned fire station. Sunny gave a big toothy grin as she pointed to a fire truck.

"That'll work," Violet said.

Sunny climbed into the driver's seat and started the truck; lord knows how a one year old was able to drive, but she managed it. Klaus and Isadora climbed into the backseat while Violet and Duncan took the front. They started driving towards the edge of town, but the angry mob led by Count Olaf and Esmé had spotted them.

"There they are," Esmé screamed, brandishing a harpoon gun.

"Where the hell did she get a harpoon gun," Duncan asked.

Violet grinned as an idea formed in her head, "Sunny, stop the truck for a second."

Sunny did as she was told and Violet leaned out the window momentarily to scream, "Hey Officer Luciana! You wouldn't want to shoot at us with that mechanical device would you?"

She pulled back inside, "Drive!"

The truck started up again as they could hear the crowd angrily shouting at their supposed police chief for breaking the rules. The mob had started trying to grab her as she swung the weapon out of their reach. Her finger slipped on the trigger and a harpoon was fired into the air and shot down a crow.

The last thing the five orphans heard as they rode to safety in their fire truck was an entire village of people screaming, "You harmed a crow! You broke rule number one!"

They had been driving for hours. The clock on the dashboard said it was 1 a.m. and Violet could see the truck was going to run out of gas eventually. The Hinterlands were huge, flat, and open meaning they had nowhere to hide otherwise. The inventor sighed heavily as she looked around at the others. Klaus and Isadora were asleep in the backseat. Violet smiled a little at the sight of them: Klaus had his arms wrapped around Isadora as she was resting comfortably on his chest. Those two were made for each other. Violet turned her gaze to Sunny; the youngest Baudelaire was keeping her eyes on the road as she drove. Perhaps all those sleepless nights doing laps at Prufrock had affected her somehow because she was managing to stay awake remarkably well for a one year old.

"Hey, are you ok?"

Duncan spoke softly, so as not to wake their siblings, and Violet turned her attention to him.

"I thought you were asleep."

"I just woke up. Why aren't you asleep?"

"I tried, but I just couldn't. I guess I'm too on edge."

He sat up a little straighter, "I know the feeling. I haven't really slept well since the fire."

Violet chuckled softly, "You might have that problem, but Izzie certainly looks comfortable back there."

He looked to the back seat and smirked, "Well, don't they make a cute couple? I hope you know that if he hurts my sister I'll have to kill him."

"Duncan, Klaus is your best friend; you know he wouldn't do something like that. I know my brother and he's very trustworthy and respectful. Besides, he's never even kissed a girl before; unless you count Isadora kissing him on the cheek back at Prufrock."

The journalist chuckled, "Sorry, Quigley and I swore that we'd never let a guy near Isadora without our express permission. She is our baby sister after all... well by ten minutes for me, five minutes for Quigley. I'll have a talk with Klaus later about it, you know just to lay out the ground rules."

Violet rolled her eyes with a soft smile at his behavior. Duncan Quagmire had this effect on her. He helped her calm down. He was able to lift her previous worries by simply being here. And his charming smile made her heart flutter. Why did he have to be so good looking? It was a question she asked herself since the day she met him. Violet Baudelaire was no stranger to cute boys; having inherited her own bewitching good looks from her mother made boys rather interested in her as well. She had never kissed a guy before, but it wasn't as if she hadn't considered the idea.

Duncan was different. He made her feel safe; despite the fact that it was her having to save him recently. It wasn't the kind of "knight-in-shining-armor" feeling of safety that he gave her. Not like those fairy tales her mother and father read to her as a little girl. It was the "as long as we're together we can survive anything" feeling. She had to admit she liked that feeling a lot more; it felt real and wonderful. It felt just right. She was suddenly thankful for the darkness hiding her blushing face.

"Duncan, I have to talk to you about something."

"Sure, what's wrong?"

"I lied to you earlier. I'm sorry; I did see something written inside that red herring statue. I didn't want to say anything because I thought it wasn't a good time. I wanted to get us out of there first."

He started fidgeting, a blush crossing his cheeks as well, "Oh, uh... that's ok I forgive you. What did you see?"

She smiled slyly, "I just saw these carvings that looked like they said D.Q+V.B."

Duncan tried to regain his composure. His crush had found out about his secret feelings, and he didn't know what to do now.

"And how do you feel about that," He asked, choosing his words carefully.

She grabbed his hand and locked her dark eyes with his amazing green ones, "I like you too Duncan. And I want to be with you."

"You do," His voice cracked slightly, "I mean, I want to be with you too, Violet."

She giggled quietly, moving closer to him, and rested her head on his warm shoulder. Duncan grinned and wrapped his arm around her.

"Get some rest, I'll watch the road," He said.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Violet replied as she dozed off.

 _"Violet Baudelaire, I will not let anything separate us ever again."_

 **~End of chapter!**


	2. A Necessary Evil

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

It was nearly 5 in the morning when the fire truck finally ran out of fuel. They had thankfully stopped next to the first building they had seen since leaving the village.

"Violet, wake up, we've stopped," Duncan said, gently shaking her.

He wished he didn't have to wake her up. He had been enjoying the last few hours having her snuggled up against him.

The inventor tiredly rubbed her eyes, "Did we run out?"

"Yeah and Sunny is tired too, she's been up all night. We stopped next to a gas station though."

Violet sat up and checked the clock, "Alright, let's have a look around. See if you can wake up the lovebirds in the back. Sunny and I will wait at the door, and we'll all go inside together."

Duncan nodded as Violet picked up her sister and climbed out of the truck. He leaned over to the back seat.

"Hey Klaus, Isadora, wake up!"

The two stirred, Isadora opened her eyes first, and spoke groggily, "Duncan, the sun isn't even out yet."

Klaus yawned and reached down to grab his glasses from the floor and put them on, "What time is it?"

"Almost five, the truck ran out of gas but we're at a station. I'm sorry to interrupt your guys' cuddling time, but Violet and Sunny are waiting for us outside," Duncan winked at them before climbing out the door.

Klaus and Isadora were confused at first by his statement until they looked at each other and realized their position. They blushed furiously and quickly separated before getting out of the truck themselves.

"Uh, I... I'm sorry about that, Izzie," Klaus said, running his hand through his messy dark hair nervously.

"It's alright, Klaus, I was the one asleep on you. It's more my fault really," Isadora was looking at the ground with a shy smile.

The poet silently hoped that her brother wasn't angry about her being that close to her crush all night. Sure, Duncan had not objected when she kissed Klaus on the cheek their last night at Prufrock, but she knew he was still her overprotective brother. He had every right to be. Ever since they lost Quigley in the fire, Duncan and Isadora had gotten much closer as brother and sister, and were actively looking out for each other at all times. This protectiveness had increased tenfold after they were kidnapped by Olaf.

"Guys are you coming," Violet called.

Klaus and Isadora joined them at the entrance to the station. It was an incredibly tall building labeled Last Chance General Store. True to its name, the children could see all kinds of things for sale inside. Since this was the only building for miles it must get its business from weary travelers who forgot to pack something essential.

"The sign says it's closed until 8. What do we do," Duncan asked as he peered into the store window.

Violet sighed, "Well... There's a ton of stuff in there we could use for supplies. And we could all use a change of clothes too."

"Even if it was open we don't have any money. What are you suggesting," Klaus asked, afraid of the answer.

"Klaus remember when I had to pick the lock on Olaf's suitcase to get the evidence to prove he killed Uncle Monty? I did that because it was an emergency. It was the same when we had to take that boat across Lake Lachrymose to find Aunt Josephine. I'd say we're in another emergency right now. We'll have to break in and just take what we need."

"I knew you would say that," The researcher replied quietly.

"Breaking and entering, stealing? Mother and father would be so disappointed," Isadora said, "But I suppose this is a survival situation."

"Yeah, ours too, but we don't have any other options," Violet picked up a small metal bucket off the porch floor and handed it to Sunny, "Sunny, make a lockpick out of this."

"Roger," Sunny replied before biting into the metal with all her might.

Within a few moments she handed a cut out piece of metal to her sister. Violet quickly picked the lock on the front door and they hurried inside. No alarm sounded, that must have been a good sign. The store didn't seem to have much of a security system. Perhaps that was a benefit to living in the Hinterlands; less people around to rob you meant not needing to work as hard at preventing it.

"Doesn't look like there's anyone in here," Duncan whispered.

"Unless whoever owns the store lives upstairs," Violet said, "Ok, we have to work fast, let's start with our clothes. Everyone split up and grab what you need. We'll meet up by the bathrooms. Now go."

Violet and Isadora took Sunny with them to one side of the store while Klaus and Duncan went to the other side. After selecting suitable choices for each of them they met beside the bathroom doors.

"Duncan, Klaus you two keep watch while we change. Then we'll switch places," Isadora said as they went into the girls' door.

The two boys waited vigilantly while their siblings changed. After several moments, Duncan spoke up.

"I don't mind by the way."

Klaus looked at him quizzically, "What?"

"I don't mind if you and Izzie want to be together. You two slept like that all night, I don't even know how you got into that position," Duncan smiled.

Klaus blushed a little, "You really don't mind?"

"You make my sister happy; that's good enough for me. Just promise me you'll keep her safe."

Klaus grinned, "I will, and thank you."

"Good, besides Izzie would kill me if I tried to get in the way of you two while I have something with Violet."

Klaus chuckled, "You have something with Violet? So, she told you about the statue?"

Duncan blushed, "You saw it too..."

"I pointed it out to her."

"Ok, could have warned me sooner. I talked with her last night and she said she wanted to be with me. We didn't kiss or anything, but I still held her when she fell asleep."

"Well, Violet is older than me so it's not really my business to say who she can or can't see. I only just turned 13 yesterday. I know you'll treat her right."

Duncan chuckled, "Well, happy birthday. I'm sure getting to snuggle with my sister was an excellent present."

Klaus blushed, "Shut up."

The girls exited the bathroom, and took their lookout positions while the boys went to change. Violet was now wearing a dark purple shirt, a matching jacket for extra pockets, and jeans. Isadora was wearing a dark red blouse, with a black jacket to keep her notebook inside, and jeans. They had picked out a simple pink dress for Sunny.

Isadora sighed contentedly, "It's nice to be out of that uniform. If I never see Prufrock again it'll be too soon. We were there forever."

"Agreed, that place was awful," Violet grinned as she set Sunny down beside her.

"What do we do with our old clothes?"

Violet looked around the nearby shelves and grabbed a bag. She stuffed her clothes into it, along with Sunny's, and held it out to Isadora.

"Just put them in here. We can't risk leaving them as evidence so we'll take them with us and toss them when we get the chance."

Isadora nodded and shoved her old uniform in the bag. Several moments later the boys joined them again. Klaus was now wearing a dark blue shirt and jacket and dark jeans. Duncan had chosen a dark green shirt and a black jacket as well, his notebook tucked safely inside, along with his own set of dark jeans. The boys added their old clothes to the bag.

"Now that we're a bit more comfortable, what's next," Duncan asked.

Violet looked at the clock on the store's back wall, "It's about 5:30 now; we should grab ourselves some food and water, and we'll eat in the truck while we figure out a plan. You two must be starving after being stuck in that fountain."

"You're right, we haven't eaten properly since we were locked up in that elevator shaft," Isadora said sheepishly, "We were so busy worrying about you guys that we managed to ignore our own stomachs."

"We don't have the means to cook anything so we'll keep it simple and just grab sandwich stuff."

After filling another bag full of food and getting a pack of bottled water, they exited the store and got back in the truck. As the five of them ate they took the time to finally look over Duncan and Isadora's notes on V.F.D. Everything had fallen into place. The spy-glasses, the fires, their parents secretiveness, everything was much clearer now.

"Jacques Snicket called us volunteers when we met him in the Village of Fowl Devotees. Do you think our parents meant for us to join this group? If they were volunteers too, I mean," Violet asked.

"I suppose that's the case. Uncle Monty seemed to think so. He said our parents wanted to raise us in a quiet world. The V.F.D. motto is the world is quiet here. They might have been waiting for the right time," Klaus answered.

Duncan scoffed, "I'm not sure if I even want to join. Sounds like something Quigley would be more interested in. He was a cartographer, and being in an organization like this would mean traveling around constantly. It'd give him plenty of map-making material."

"You're right. It doesn't sound pleasant to me either," Isadora said, "But what choice do we have? We've already been roped into it."

Violet put a hand to her chin in thought, "Perhaps we can get out of it. We could find other volunteers and maybe see if we can negotiate our way out. Those fires are what put us on this path in the first place. With our parents gone, what more is there to do except survive? We'll carry on through this mess and we will get away from Count Olaf for good."

"And what then," Duncan asked.

"Then we move on. I seem to recall we agreed we'd go into business together after we inherit our fortunes. You didn't think I'd forgotten about building that printing press for you; did you, Duncan?"

The journalist grinned, "No I didn't forget."

"And we'll print books with it too," Klaus added.

"And my poetry of course," Isadora said.

They all smiled, feeling their hearts lighten immensely at their plans for the future. A future they were determined to spend together. But first they had to figure out what they were going to do about being stranded out in the Hinterlands after just having stolen several things, being framed for murder, and having no means of transportation.

 **~End of chapter!**


	3. Heimlich Hospital

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

The sun had started to rise over the Hinterlands as the Baudelaires and the Quagmires saw an old looking truck drive up to the store. They ducked inside the fire truck to avoid being spotted. An old man got out of the truck carrying a stack of newspapers in his arms. He locked up the papers inside a nearby dispensing machine before unlocking the door and disappearing inside the building. Thankfully, he seemed oblivious to the fire truck that had appeared overnight. The children got out, leaving their stolen bag inside the truck, and snuck over to the machine. On the cover of the top paper was a picture of all five of them together with a headline talking about the Baudelaires being murderers and the Quagmires being their supposed accomplices. As expected, all of their names were mislabeled too.

Duncan groaned, "I _hate_ the _Daily Punctilio_. No journalistic integrity; all they ever do is lie."

"How did Mrs. Poe even get this picture of us," Klaus asked.

"She must have taken it before we escaped; Mr. Poe was with the mob. Mrs. Poe is the editor in chief at the _Daily Punctilio_ ; she'll do anything for her next big headline. Well, the store owner is here now. We can't go inside though because he might notice that we stole these clothes," Violet said.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Someone's coming," Isadora said, and the five of them quickly ducked behind the wall as another car pulled up.

It was another man this time and he too carried a newspaper under his arm as he got out of his car and entered the store.

"Hey boss, did you see this headline? Murderous children on the loose in the Hinterlands! What's the world coming to," They heard him say through the window above them.

"Ah, what can you do? It says they're orphans. Their parents probably never raised them right," The old man replied.

The five of them felt their blood boil at such a horrible accusation. They knew their parents raised them perfectly fine. And most importantly they were being framed for a murder they did not commit. They had only stooped to breaking the law recently out of necessity. Each of them knew that in a survival situation sometimes your personal principles must be sacrificed for your own safety.

"V.F.D.," Sunny said, getting their attention.

"What was that, Sunny," Isadora asked.

Sunny pointed to a large, blue van that had just pulled up. On the side were the letters V.F.D. in big black print. The children looked at each other nervously. The van was filled with several people, but only the driver got out and went to fill up the vehicle at the gas pump.

"Do you think we should try to get a ride with them," Duncan asked.

"It's our best shot," Violet answered, "Let's talk to him."

They walked up to the man at the pump. He was currently inspecting a guitar he had been carrying on his back as he waited.

"Excuse me sir," Violet said, "Um, you wouldn't happen to have room for a few extra passengers, would you?"

The man grinned, "Oh, we have plenty of room! We're always happy to welcome new volunteers. We're just topping off our fuel then we'll head out. Hop in!"

"Er, thank you," Violet said as the man opened the back of the van to let them in.

It was a tight squeeze, but the five of them managed to fit inside comfortably with the others. Duncan sat next to Violet, and Klaus sat beside Isadora with Sunny on his lap. The driver got back inside after several moments and they drove off to where they did not know. The children glanced at the other people in the van who were smiling curiously at them.

"Everyone, these nice kids have decided to join us as volunteers," The driver explained, "Now don't bother telling us your names; we don't use those around here. Everyone just calls each other brother and sister."

"Usually, people who call each other brother and sister actually are. And in our case we are," Isadora gestured to Duncan; they were identical triplets after all, anyone could see they were related.

"She's right, and these are my sisters," Klaus said gesturing to Violet and Sunny.

"That's wonderful that you're with your family and friends, but we use it as a term of endearment. Do you know what endearment means," One woman sitting across from Klaus asked.

"It means it's an affectionate term," Klaus answered confidently, "Such as 'my dear' or 'darling.'"

Violet and Duncan smirked as they noticed Klaus subtly glance at Isadora when he said this. Sunny rolled her eyes.

"That's right. You're a smart young man," The woman replied, "And we use brother and sister as a term of endearment."

"Uh, you didn't happen to read today's _Daily Punctilio_ , did you," Duncan asked, working to keep his voice steady to not give away his fear of their answer.

"The paper; oh, goodness no! We don't like reading the news. It's too depressing and we volunteers like to stay cheerful."

"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of volunteers are you exactly," Isadora asked.

She immediately wished that she hadn't spoken because the group began to sing their answer:

 _We are Volunteers Fighting Disease,_

 _And we're cheerful all day long._

 _If someone said that they were sad,_

 _That person would be wrong._

 _We visit people who are sick,_

 _And try to make them smile,_

 _Even if their noses bleed,_

 _Or if they cough up bile._

 _Tra la la, Fiddle dee dee,_

 _Hope you get well soon._

 _Ho ho ho, hee hee hee,_

 _Have a heart-shaped balloon._

 _We visit people who are ill,_

 _And try to make them laugh,_

 _Even when the doctor says_

 _He must saw them in half._

 _We sing and sing all night and day,_

 _And then we sing some more._

 _We sing to boys with broken bones_

 _And girls whose throats are sore._

 _Tra la la, Fiddle dee dee,_

 _Hope you get well soon._

 _Ho ho ho, hee hee hee,_

 _Have a heart-shaped balloon._

 _We sing to men with measles,_

 _And to women with the flu,_

 _And if you breathe in deadly germs,_

 _We'll probably sing to you._

 _Tra la la, Fiddle dee dee,_

 _We hope you get well soon._

 _Ho ho ho, hee hee hee,_

 _Have a heart-shaped balloon!_

The children glanced at each other as the volunteers finished their song. This wasn't the V.F.D. that they had hoped for.

"That's what we do, sister," One man said.

"Um, your song has excellent poetic form," Isadora said, though the others could tell she was just being polite.

 _"It's better than anything Carmelita ever came up with anyway,"_ She thought.

"We're here," The driver said as he stopped the van.

As everyone climbed out, the children finally got to see their destination. It was a hospital, as they should have expected, but it didn't look right at all. On one side was a fresh, well-kept grassy entrance to the huge white building with a fountain in the middle of the road. On the other side the hospital looked like nothing more than unfinished supports and steel bars in the shape of a building. It looked as if the designer had only half finished building this place. The sign on the lawn read Heimlich Hospital, and it too was only half complete as half of the sign was dirty and the other half was freshly shined. The children held hands so as not to lose each other and followed the group of volunteers inside.

"Good morning, you must be the Volunteers Fighting Disease," The lady at the front desk said, she barely looked up from her pile of paperwork as she held out a clipboard, "Here is our patient list for today, you are free to roam the building as you wish, but the Library of Records in the basement is strictly off limits unless you're an employee."

"Thank you very much, sister! Let's go spread some cheer everyone!"

The volunteers walked off carrying their supply of heart-shaped balloons and instruments to sing their songs with; not even noticing the children hadn't followed them.

"Did you say Library of Records," Klaus asked the receptionist.

Once again, she didn't bother looking up from the papers, "That is correct. The Heimlich Hospital Library of Records contains records and files from all over the world on everything from nuptial law to the world's most threatening fungi. However, it is strictly forbidden unless you are an employee."

The five of them looked at each other as the same idea formed in their heads.

"Would you be willing to hire the five of us then? To work in the library," Violet asked carefully.

The woman sighed heavily, "I don't see why not, we only have one person working down there anyway. My name is Babs and I am the head of Human Resources and head of the Party Planning Committee. You'll find the entrance to the library downstairs where you'll meet up with Hal. Now get to work, children like you should be seen and not heard."

She gestured to the opposite hallway, obviously eager for them to leave. They didn't bother to wonder how she had known they weren't adults without even looking at them. Keeping their hands entwined, the five of them made their way through the halls of the rather eerie hospital. The ceiling lights seemed to be fading, and without many visible windows to let in the sunlight, the place looked creepy and unsettling. Occasionally, a doctor or two would pass by them, but other than that all the people here seemed to be patients; as evidenced by the sounds coming from the rooms they passed.

It was several minutes before they found the set of stairs that finally led them down to the basement. Before them was a set of huge doors labeled Library of Records; they were locked.

"Great, now what do we do," Duncan asked.

"She said we're supposed to meet somebody named Hal. We should probably just wait for him," Isadora said.

"Did I hear somebody mention my name?"

The children turned to see an aging man with a kind face and very complicated looking glasses walking up to them. He smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys.

"Babs told me I was getting some new assistants today. My name is Hal, welcome to Heimlich Hospital, children. You'll have to excuse my glasses I can't see very well anymore these days. What are your names?"

"I'm Violet Baudelaire and these are my siblings Klaus and Sunny, and these are our friends Duncan Quagmire and his sister Isadora."

Hal adjusted his glasses as he looked the Quagmires over, "Ah, you two must be twins. You look so alike. Well, let's get to work shall we."

"Triplets," Duncan and Isadora muttered under their breath.

Hal unlocked the doors and they followed him inside.

 **~End of chapter!**


	4. The Library of Records

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

The Library of Records wasn't like any other library the children had seen before. Klaus would even consider arguing that it wasn't a library at all as there were no books; though he chose not to say this out loud. All they could see in the massive room were filing cabinets. Rows and rows of filing cabinets as far as the eye could see. And as Hal led them deeper into the room, they knew at once that trying to find any useful information in this library was going to be a daunting task.

"Now the most important thing we do at Heimlich Hospital is paperwork. We love paperwork so much that we store it on everything in this library. All you have to do is grab files from this bin here and place them in the correct cabinets. For example, if the first word on a paper is 'mountain' then you file it under 'M' for mountain."

"That doesn't make any sense," Duncan retorted, "Wouldn't it be better to read the file and figure out where it should go based on what it's actually about?"

"Absolutely out of the question, young man, we're not allowed to read the files. You simply look at the first word and put it in the proper cabinet. You'll get in an awful lot of trouble for reading these files," Hal explained, "At the back of the room are the mail delivery tubes where all the new papers come in everyday. Follow me and I'll show you how they work."

Klaus leaned over to Isadora as they walked and whispered, "Based on that explanation alone, this must be the most disorganized library in existence."

Isadora held back a snort of laughter and whispered back, "I agree."

Klaus couldn't help feeling a bit of satisfaction for making her laugh. She had a beautiful smile; he'd been thinking that since the moment he met her. And since the five orphans were in this mess together for the long haul, a word which here means, "Going on the rest of this adventure together rather than apart," Klaus Baudelaire swore he would take every chance he could get to make Isadora Quagmire smile. He had promised Duncan he would keep her safe, and to Klaus, "safe" also meant "happy." For if she could only be happy when she was safe: he would be doubly true to his word and keep her as both. He snapped out of his thoughts as he realized he had been staring at her for the last several moments rather than listening to Hal.

 _"God, Klaus, get ahold of yourself,"_ He inwardly screamed, _"You had your chance to tell her how you felt before she left to do laps disguised as Violet that night at Prufrock, and you didn't take it. Why, because you're a coward. Father always said girls were the one thing you'd never be able to figure out no matter how many books you read. Yeah, she kissed you, but what if it didn't mean anything? She fell asleep in your arms in the fire truck; coincidence or an accident it had to be at least. We had just saved her from being trapped inside a fountain; she probably just wanted some friendly comfort that's all."_

"And that's pretty much how everything works around here. I know this system seems complicated but I'm sure you'll get used to it in no time," Hal finished, "Now let's get to filing."

And filing they did. For the next couple hours all they did was filing, and with Hal watching them they couldn't risk bending the ridiculous rules in their favor. For all this time, the children didn't even have a clue what they intended to find in this place, but they could sense that something they needed was here. They were determined to find it.

"Ah, another film reel; sometimes we get extra important files in the form of film reels. We even have a projector over there to view them with," Hal said holding a small film canister, "This one is the Snicket File, oh yes I have extra special instructions on anything labeled Snicket."

"Wait, Hal! Did you say Snicket? Can we see what's on that film," Violet asked.

"I should say not! We're not allowed to watch these reels, Violet," The old man replied as he walked away towards the other side of the room.

Once he was out of earshot, she turned to the others, "We need to see what's on that film."

"Well, what could we do? Hal is the only one who has the keys to this place," Duncan said, dejectedly.

"Something we shouldn't do... but we might have to. I'll explain later, for now just keep working until closing time."

"What are we going to do when the hospital closes? We don't exactly have anywhere to sleep and there are security cameras everywhere," Isadora said.

"The unfinished construction side doesn't have cameras; we'll go there for the night," Klaus answered.

Isadora grinned, "Good thinking as usual, Klaus."

He blushed lightly at the compliment.

 **~After closing time**

The unfinished steel supports of a half complete hospital weren't the most comfortable place to rest, but somehow they had managed. The moon had only just come out and the five children had found a corner of the construction site that had a few walls where they wouldn't be spotted if someone walked by. They sat in a semi-circle as Violet discussed her plan.

"We're going to steal Hal's key ring and replace it with a substitute so he won't notice. Then we sneak into the library, find the file, use the projector to see what information it holds, then we give Hal his keys back and figure out where we should go from there. Is everyone with me so far?"

"I think so, but what are we going to replace the ring with," Klaus asked.

Violet looked down solemnly and reached into her jacket pocket. She pulled out her black satin hair ribbon.

"But Violet-" Klaus started before she interrupted him.

"I know, but if everything goes according to plan, I will get it back."

"When was the last time something went according to plan," Isadora asked, "Us getting kidnapped after doing those laps wasn't according to plan."

"Neither was being stuffed into that red herring statue or Fowl Fountain, but we have to try anyway," Duncan added, he reached over and gently gripped Violet's hand, "Violet, I promise you will get your ribbon back; no matter what."

The inventor smiled warmly at him, instilled with confidence from his words, "Thank you, Duncan. Klaus, Isadora, you two keep watch while Sunny, Duncan, and I put this together. There should be plenty of metal scraps around here to fashion false keys out of."

She stood and motioned for the two to follow her further into the structure, "We'll be back in a few."

Duncan quickly followed her, but Sunny stopped momentarily and looked up at her brother and friend with a smile.

"Namo," she said, which meant, "Behave you two," before running off after her sister.

Isadora looked at Klaus, "I'm afraid I'm still getting used to the way your sister talks. What did she say?"

Klaus, however, was blushing lightly as he had perfectly understood what the small girl had meant, "Uh, nothing that important."

Isadora eyed him suspiciously before responding slowly, "Ok, if you say so."

The two moved over to the opening in the walls that had led them here and sat in front of it. Klaus reached into his pocket and pulled out the completed spyglass, made from his and Isadora's halves, and turned on the flashlight to a low setting. He set it aside so the light was facing a direction it wouldn't be seen immediately before turning to her.

"There, now we can see if someone comes our way."

"Hopefully it won't be a security guard or something."

"Well I wasn't worried about that until you brought it up."

Isadora giggled quietly, "Sorry, the thought just crossed my mind that's all."

Klaus chuckled nervously, "It's alright; I forgive you."

Truth be told, this was the first time Klaus and Isadora had been alone together in a long while. The Baudelaires and the Quagmires had spent a peaceful first week at Prufrock together before Count Olaf arrived disguised as a gym teacher. In that time, Klaus and Isadora were most often together in the presence of their respective siblings. When their siblings weren't around, they were in Mrs. Bass' class together, seated beside each other so they could talk, but still surrounded by the other students. The last time they could remember being completely alone together was on the last day before Count Olaf showed up.

They were in the school library, after classes let out for the day, and dinner wasn't for another few hours. Sunny was still in the administrative office to finish her work day, and Violet and Duncan had been off studying for a quiz from their teacher, Mr. Remora. It had been the first time Klaus and Isadora got to be truly alone. He remembered that this was where he had learned of Isadora's admiration for Lord Byron. He had noticed her reading a book about him, and couldn't stop himself from asking her about it.

She had told him upon their first meeting that she had read all of Ogden Nash's works, which had sparked his interest, but that day she revealed her true hero was the great Lord Byron. He remembered how adorable she had looked as she gushed about her interests to him, and he hung onto every word. Klaus enjoyed poetry of course, he had read dozens of books on the subject, but he had never thought much about it otherwise until he met Isadora. She was only about to turn 15, but she was a master at her craft. A sure sign she had been writing poetry for a long time. He loved her couplets, and he was always happy to hear them.

"Klaus, are you ok?"

"Huh? Yeah, why do you ask?"

Isadora smiled, "You were staring at me."

He pulled away from her slightly, "Oh, sorry. I was just spacing out."

"That's ok I was just admiring the view," She turned to look out at the starry night sky above the Hinterlands with a crescent moon shining down on them.

He looked at her again; the moonlight reflecting off her beautiful brown eyes. She sighed happily as she gazed at the stars.

"It is true hospitals are a fearful sight, but at least it is a lovely night," She recited, leaning back slightly, holding herself up.

That was the first couplet she had made since the ones they had used to find her in the fountain. He felt something inside him stir as he stared at the beautiful girl sitting beside him. It had been so long since he had felt this at peace; with the unfortunate events that had transpired in his life in recent months it was hard to find such a thing. They were all convinced that peace wasn't an option until they were free of Count Olaf for good. But right now all that Klaus Baudelaire could think about was his lovely friend Isadora Quagmire and how he wanted to tell her how he felt about her. How he felt about her for quite some time; perhaps even since they had met, though he wasn't sure when this feeling had actually started.

Klaus shifted his position a bit so he was closer to her, thankfully she hadn't noticed, and put his plan into action. He took a deep breath, while keeping his gaze firmly away from her, reached out and interlocked his hand with hers. Isadora gasped quietly and looked down at their hands before gazing up at him. In the light given off by the spyglass, he could see that she was blushing deeply. He knew from how hot his face felt that he was blushing too. The two looked at each other with shy smiles, his dark eyes locking with her brown ones. She gently squeezed his hand as she laced their fingers together.

Isadora leaned in first. Klaus had never felt so nervous as he leaned in as well. The two could feel their hearts beating against their chests as their faces drew closer and closer. Finally, their lips met in a simple first kiss. The kiss could have lasted anywhere from a minute to an eternity and they wouldn't have cared. Klaus was kissing Isadora and that was what mattered. His other hand reached up to the back of her head to pull her closer. A tactic he may or may not have learned from a few romance novels he read in the past. Isadora happily complied with the gesture and deepened the kiss in response.

However, neither the researcher nor the poet had noticed that their respective siblings had returned several moments ago and were now staring in silent disbelief at the sight before them. Violet looked happy for her best friend and her brother. Sunny looked a tad disgusted at her brother and friend for doing something so gross as kissing; she was still very young and didn't understand these things yet. Meanwhile, Duncan was torn between being happy for his sister, and wanting to kill his best friend for kissing his sister. After a moment, he remembered that he had given Klaus permission to do this, but he hadn't quite prepared himself mentally for having to watch this particular sight. It was definitely going to take some getting used to.

The two teens finally pulled out of their kiss, both grinning bashfully at each other, as they still hadn't noticed they weren't alone anymore.

"Wow," Isadora breathed.

"I could say the same to you, Izzie," Klaus replied softly, "I've wanted to do that for ages."

Isadora giggled, "Me too."

"Ahem."

Klaus and Isadora snapped their gaze behind them at the sound of Duncan clearing his throat. The two blushed furiously and quickly moved apart, though their hands were still connected.

"How long have you guys been standing there," Isadora asked, shakily; she had never felt so embarrassed.

"Just long enough," Violet replied, smirking, "Now if you two love birds are finished we have a plan to put into action."

She held up her tied hair ribbon which was now carrying many pieces of metal that were shaped like keys.

 **~End of Chapter!**

 **Hopefully, you guys liked the Kladora in this chapter. I'm quite happy with it myself.**


	5. Trapped

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

"Good evening, children."

The orphans looked up to see that Hal had found them. He smiled and held up a tray with several bowls and spoons.

"I made some soup that I wanted to share with my new coworkers. If you don't mind that is."

Violet tucked the false key ring behind her, though there was very little chance he had seen it clearly in the dim light, and smiled, "We wouldn't mind that at all, Hal."

Hal carefully stepped over to them and they all sat together. Klaus subtly moved the spyglass out of the old man's vision just to be on the safe side. Each of the children politely took a bowlful of soup as Hal began talking about nothing in particular. They couldn't help ignoring him though as their minds were preoccupied with the fact that the soup tasted terrible. Sunny wasn't a fan of soft foods, but even she knew that she could definitely prepare something better than this. After some time, Hal fell asleep against the wall letting them put their plan into action. Violet carefully unhooked the key ring from Hal's belt and dropped her ribbon in his pocket instead.

"Alright," She whispered standing up, "Let's go."

Klaus grabbed their spyglass, and the five children went back into the hospital and made their way down to the library.

"It's not filed under 'S,'" Duncan groaned as he picked through the papers in the cabinet.

"Hal said he had special instructions for anything labeled Snicket. What do you think he meant," Isadora asked.

"I don't know, but let's try under 'F' for fire," Klaus answered, "It's the best option I can think of."

Violet quickly flipped through the files in the F cabinet, "It's not here either."

Duncan pulled his dark green notebook out of his jacket and flipped through his notes; thankfully the lights were only dimmed down here rather than turned off for the night. They didn't have to worry about using the spyglass to see.

"Try 'J' for Jacques Snicket," He suggested after a few seconds.

Klaus opened the J cabinet, "Nothing, damn we're running out of places to check."

Duncan put his notebook back into his jacket as the five of them returned to the center of the room.

"Anybody else got any ideas," Violet asked.

"V.F.D.," Sunny replied.

"V.F.D. that could work," Klaus said.

They hurried over to the V cabinet and sure enough they found the small canister tucked inside a file labeled V.F.D. Violet set up the projector but didn't turn it on immediately.

"Alright, everyone, we don't know what we're going to find out from this film, but we know it'll be important. Duncan make sure to take down everything in your notebook," Violet commanded.

"Always," The journalist replied as he readied his pen.

Violet turned on the projector and they watched as Jacques Snicket appeared before them. He appeared to be sitting at a desk being interviewed by someone off camera.

"You said you were here to discuss the two most recent fires. Which would those be? There have been quite a few in recent years."

"The Baudelaires is the most recent only a few months ago, followed closely by the Quagmires about a year and a half ago. However, before I continue on the subject I must preface this by saying that there may be one survivor of the fire," Jacques said right before the film cut out.

Violet removed the film from the projector and looked around at the others. They all had the same stunned expressions on their faces. Somebody might have survived one of the two fires. Duncan and Isadora quietly grabbed each other's hands, as they usually did, for comfort. Sunny hugged each of her older siblings' legs; Klaus looked a bit misty eyed at the shocking information. For some time, nobody dared to speak. Nobody knew what to say.

"It just cuts off there," Violet spoke softly, "The rest of the film must have been tampered with."

"Then which fire was he talking about," Klaus asked before he could stop himself; he hadn't wanted to ask at all.

"It doesn't matter which one. He said one person might have survived a fire. Perhaps we shouldn't get our hopes up, but whether it's a member of your family or ours it's still a person that might be alive. That's what matters and we're not going to let it divide us," Isadora answered; she walked over to Klaus and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

Klaus wrapped his arms around her, thankful for her comfort, and whispered something so soft that only she could hear, "Thank you Isadora."

She could only smile in response. Duncan was comforting Violet by holding her hand as she also held Sunny's hand. The five of them shared this brief moment together happily. They weren't sure if what they were happy about would even end up being true, but for now they were happy. Isadora had been right, of course, they probably shouldn't have gotten their hopes up. However, it was unavoidable. Each of them knew deep down that no matter who survived which fire, they were going to find that person. But this happy moment didn't last much longer as they heard something that filled them with dread.

"Good evening, Heimlich Hospital, my name is Dr. Matthias MedicalSchool, and I am your new boss. Babs has decided to take a sudden interest in becoming a movie stuntwoman and began throwing herself off rooftops. And I'm looking for a group of murderers," The voice over the intercom spoke in a terrible accent.

Count Olaf had taken over the hospital.

"He's running out of ideas if all he can come up with is medical school for a surname," Duncan said, obviously attempting to lighten the mood.

"Isn't that the truth," Violet replied with a small smile at the comment, "What are we going to do?"

The doors of the library started to shake violently as they heard another voice they dreaded, "Come on out orphans brats! It's most certainly not 'in' to keep people locked out!"

"Esmé," They all breathed out simultaneously.

The doors shook harder as the children quickly joined hands and ran the opposite direction. They ducked behind some cabinets near the back of the room before the doors were forced open. Esmé Squalor walked in wearing yet another of her "fashionable" outfits. A black and white fur coat over a skimpy white nurse's uniform, but what they noticed the most about her attire were the shoes she wore. They were high-heeled stilettos, but not in the same way that one would usually see such shoes. The heels of her shoes were actual knives just like their namesake. She turned and slammed the doors closed before taking a few steps forward with a sinister grin.

"Come out brats," She commanded.

"What now," Duncan whispered.

"We can probably get away," Klaus whispered back, "Those shoes look like they slow her down a lot. They keep getting stuck in the floor."

"Do you like my outfit, Baudelaire brats? I'm quite fond of it myself. It was made with something special for the occasion: The skin of an endangered species of bat. I remember Beatrice never liked me to wear this lovely attire whenever we attended fancy gatherings together. She was a fool to not see things in the fashionable eye."

Duncan and Isadora watched as Violet, Klaus, and Sunny's eyes darkened with rage.

"But you know, she wasn't the only fool. That husband of hers, Bertrand, now he was a fool beyond comprehension. He was one of many people who told Jerome not to marry me! Not that it matters since we're not together anymore, but it was still a damn fool thing to believe."

Violet clenched her fist. She was tempted to scream the vilest insults she could muster at the wicked woman. Klaus bit down on his tongue to keep himself from yelling back at her. Sunny gripped her siblings' hands tightly without a word.

"Don't say a word," Duncan mouthed to them; they nodded their response.

"You have something I want, children, and I'm going to get it."

They glanced down at the film canister in Violet's hand. She quickly shoved it into her jacket. They could hear Esmé circling around the room as she hunted for them. Her stilettos clicking into the floor with every terrifying step as she drew closer to their hiding spot. They needed to run. They needed to escape. But at the moment they were trapped. And she would reach them eventually. They couldn't dare speak, even in whispers, she might hear them.

"And once I find you and your bratty twin friends, you'll give me what I want or else. My darling Olaf isn't here and he said I can do with you as I please."

It was now Duncan and Isadora's turn to bite down on their tongues to keep themselves silent. Esmé advanced closer.

"Poor Quagmires, I knew Quinten and Karen well. As a matter of fact, I was put in charge of your affairs after their deaths. Such is a shame about them. I seem to recall they had three brats. What was the third one's name? Oh, yes Quigley. You know, they say that being burned alive is the worst pain a person could suffer. Tell me little twin orphans, you watched your house burn down with your dear brother inside... do you think it hurt when the flames engulfed him?"

Duncan and Isadora were normally very kind, and reasonable. Even when bullied by that awful girl Carmelita Spats they held to their principles and didn't let her taunting, or anyone else's, get to them. Even when nobody else had believed the Baudelaires when they tried to tell the school who Coach Genghis really was, the two had managed to keep themselves calm and collected as they demanded further investigation in support of their friends. And even when they were so often called twins by mistake they just attempted to correct the person. Calling them twins was a bad enough insult, but this: this had crossed the line. The Baudelaires could only watch as their friends' faces reddened with a level of anger they had never seen on them, or likely anyone else before.

"SHUT UP! HOW DARE YOU SPEAK OF QUIGLEY QUAGMIRE THAT WAY!"

Duncan and Isadora stood from their hiding place, and shoved their combined weight against one of the filing cabinets. It fell backwards and created a domino effect where the cabinet hit the one behind it and continued knocking them down the row. The Baudelaires stood with them and the five ran towards the mail slot area as Esmé attempted to avoid the falling cabinets.

"The commotion should buy us some time," Duncan said, "Come on we can get out through the air vents!"

He and Violet quickly ripped open the hatch on the vent.

"Klaus, you and Sunny go in first."

"But Violet-"

"That wasn't a request!"

Klaus climbed inside the air vent and Violet handed Sunny over to him. Isadora climbed inside next and positioned herself beside Klaus. Esmé had narrowly avoided the row of falling cabinets, screaming in frustration; she had noticed where the children were trying to escape to. She too got the idea to shove down the next row of cabinets and they were headed right for the open vent.

Violet turned to Duncan, "Get inside, I'll hold her off and meet you guys somewhere."

"Like hell! I'm not leaving you behind!"

"I'm not asking you to! I want you to be safe!"

"And I want you to be safe," Duncan retorted, his eyes locking with hers as he grabbed her hand tightly, "I promised myself I'd never let you go again."

"Both of you get inside now," Klaus demanded.

Violet and Duncan turned to them. Duncan reached into his jacket and pulled out his notebook.

He held it out to his sister, "Izzie, take it. It'll be out of their hands if you have it."

She grabbed his wrist instead and stared firmly into his eyes, "Duncan Ryan Quagmire, I am not losing another brother."

"You won't, I'll be with Violet. We'll meet you somewhere. Now take the damn notebook, Isadora!"

The poet flinched; Duncan had never raised his voice at her before. She grabbed her brother's most treasured possession. Violet handed Klaus the Snicket File.

"This is what she's after," She said, "It's safe with you."

"But Violet," Klaus saw the falling shelves get closer, "What if-"

"Klaus, I promised mother and father that I would protect you and Sunny no matter what! Now let me keep my promise!"

The researcher shoved the file into his pocket and Sunny stared up at her sister with a worried, fearful look in her eyes.

"Don't worry Sunny, I'll be alright," Violet gave her a reassuring smile.

"Klaus," Duncan said, "Remember to keep Izzie safe for me. You promised."

"I will, Duncan."

Violet and Duncan quickly replaced the hatch on the vent and jumped out of the way as the cabinets finally crashed into the spot they had been standing. Duncan gripped her hand and pulled her close to him; his eyes locking with hers once more.

"You said you wanted to be with me, right? Then we do this together, my lovely inventor," He grinned.

Violet couldn't help her heart warming at his sweet words, despite their desperate situation, as she grinned in return, "Together to the end, my dear journalist."

"There you are," Esmé screeched as she neared them, "Oh, look young love! How absolutely revolting! I suppose we can settle for just the two of you. Olaf won't mind I'm sure."

The two teens kept their hands locked firmly as they ran from her. Esmé continued knocking over cabinets in a desperate attempt to trap them. From inside the air vent, Klaus, Isadora, and Sunny could see as their respective siblings ran to the exit. They saw the doors open to reveal Count Olaf standing menacingly in their path.

The three felt their hearts drop into their stomachs as Violet and Duncan were grabbed by Olaf's henchmen and dragged away as the library doors were shut behind them.

 **~End of Chapter**

 **Well, this was a fun chapter to write...**


	6. Searching

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

Klaus, Isadora, and Sunny sat for some time in stunned silence. Violet and Duncan had been taken away from them right after they had promised they could escape.

"Come on, we can get anywhere using these vents," Klaus said, "We need to find them."

He and Sunny started crawling, but Isadora didn't follow them.

"Izzie?"

"Isa," Sunny tugged on her friend's jacket sleeve.

Isadora didn't move. She stayed rooted to the spot. Her eyes refused to leave the sight of the library doors. Klaus motioned for Sunny to move aside so he could position himself next to Isadora. His already worried heart clenched up when he looked at her face. A few silent tears had escaped her eyes, and her breathing became erratic. She clutched Duncan's notebook to her chest as if her life depended on it.

"Izzie-"

"He said they would make it," Isadora spoke quietly; more tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Hey, they'll be alright," Klaus wished he hadn't said this as he himself wasn't sure of such a thing, "They're together, and Duncan cares about Violet too much to let something happen to her. And Violet won't let them hurt Duncan either."

Sunny patted Isadora's hand affectionately, "Strong."

"That's right, Sunny, Violet and Duncan are strong people. And if we're going to save them, then we have to be strong too," Klaus reached out and gently wiped away Isadora's tears.

"I... I've never been without _both_ my brothers before."

He put his hand on her shoulder and stared into her eyes, "Isadora, we _will_ find them. Duncan would want you to be strong."

She stared back at him, tempted to say something else. But her protests halted when she saw the sincerity in Klaus' warm, dark eyes behind his glasses. Those same eyes that gave her strength to keep going when she had been kidnapped. Those eyes that brought her comfort when she had been locked in the cage at the bottom of the elevator shaft. The eyes she trusted. The eyes of a boy she cared for deeply and had only just had her first kiss with earlier that night. A boy who had promised her brother that she would be safe with him. She felt confidence fill her once more as she shoved her brother's notebook into her jacket and wiped her eyes.

"Thank you, Klaus, let's go find them."

"That's the spirit, Izzie," Klaus replied with a small smile.

"Klaus, Isa," Sunny called; she had crawled to the other end of the vent path.

They followed her and watched as Count Olaf and Esmé walked down the hall pushing a rather large hospital bed with Violet and Duncan strapped down to it.

"You won't get away with this," Duncan said, "You can't possibly keep us hidden in a hospital."

"Violet, why don't you tell your boyfriend to shut up," Olaf retorted.

"He's right," Violet said, "You can't hide us in a place like this."

"On the contrary, I can, and I know just how I'll do it."

"You're not even a real doctor-" Duncan started, but Esmé silenced both their protests by putting tape over their mouths.

Olaf hurriedly explained to curious passing doctors that the tape was a precaution for their "illnesses." Violet and Duncan rolled their eyes as the doctors fell for his stupid excuse.

"What do you think he would do to hide them," Klaus asked.

"Alias," Sunny suggested.

"Of course, nothing in Heimlich Hospital gets done without paperwork. If he's keeping them locked in a room together all we have to do is search the rooms until we find them," Isadora said, "He's got them on the same bed to keep an eye on both of them just in case. It makes sense that he'd put them in the same room."

Klaus checked the hall to ensure no one was around before opening up the vent and climbing out. Isadora climbed out and reached back inside to pick up Sunny. The three huddled together as they tried to figure out their plan of action. Olaf and Esmé had disappeared leaving the hallway deserted. Before any of them could figure out what to do next they heard something they had actually wanted to hear: the sound of people singing. From around the corner came the Volunteers Fighting Disease singing their awful song and carrying their balloons. They quickly stopped to get their attention.

"Hey there you are brother and sisters!"

"Yeah can we have some of those balloons," Klaus asked.

"Absolutely, now we've got patients to cheer up!"

Klaus held Isadora's hand as she carried Sunny and gripped a few balloons in her other hand. They used the balloons to hide their faces as doctors passed and followed the volunteers during their trek to every room in the hospital.

Count Olaf had just finished strapping Violet and Duncan down to a stationary bed in an eerie dark room. He ripped the tape off their mouths.

"Comfortable, orphans?"

"Our siblings will find us," Violet spat back at him.

"Oh, I'm counting on it," Olaf reached over to a nearby tray full of many nasty looking surgical tools and set it down on the bedside table and began showing them off as he talked, "That brainy brother of yours will find you and once he does, they'll fall right into my trap. I will tear you and your siblings apart, Violet. And as for you, little boy, you'll never see that precious, poetry-loving sister of yours ever again."

"You don't know that," Duncan said, "They could free us before you get to them."

Olaf glared down at the Quagmire boy, choosing to ignore his comment and changed the subject, "Has your girlfriend here perhaps told you that she once legally married me?"

"That was an evil plot to get my fortune, and it wasn't legally binding because I didn't sign the document in my own hand! I would never marry you!"

"You tried to marry a 14 year old girl," Duncan said disgustedly, "What is wrong with you?"

"Yes, darling, what is wrong with you," Esmé asked from the other side of the room, "You didn't tell me you tried that."

Olaf grinned, "I'm sorry if I can't help myself when it comes to a pretty girl; every man has his weakness," He started reaching down to stroke Violet's hair.

"Don't touch her," Duncan commanded, his eyes darkening.

Olaf looked Duncan right in the eyes, "Duncan, I'll touch whatever I want."

The wicked man petted Violet's hair for a moment, making her flinch in disgust. He then stood up and went to join Esmé at the door.

"Enjoy your quality alone time, you two, until we get back. Once your stupid siblings find you... you won't have to worry your little heads about a thing."

The sinister couple left the room, shutting the door behind them. Violet and Duncan attempted to struggle against the restraints that were holding them in place. They were trapped together on a large hospital bed near the back wall of the room. Belt straps held their arms and legs down, but they were thankfully positioned beside each other, their shoulders touching.

"It's no use, these straps won't budge."

Violet heard Duncan start breathing heavily, "Duncan?"

He turned his head away from her, "Sorry, I've been trying to hold it in, but hospitals really freak me out."

Violet gave him a sympathetic look and managed to grab his hand, "I know how you feel. I'm not too fond of hospitals right now either."

He looked at her again, "I'm sorry, Violet. We were supposed to escape together, and we just ended up getting caught. I can't help feeling like it might be my fault."

"It wasn't your fault. We wanted to protect our families. They're safe and they'll find us in no time," She squeezed his hand gently, "At least we're together."

Duncan smiled softly at her, "I suppose it'd be a million times scarier if I didn't have you with me."

"And if I didn't have you with me. Where do you think Klaus, Izzie, and Sunny are right now?"

"Hopefully coming up with a plan," He started chuckling lightly.

"How can you laugh at a time like this?"

"Because of Quigley, if he could see us right now he'd make some dumbass joke, and I was just thinking about what he might say."

Violet's eyes softened, "I'm sorry about what Esmé said in the library. I could see how much it must have hurt. I've never seen you get mad before; it was a little scary. The way you and Isadora just blew up like that. I mean she insulted our parents too and we were able to keep a lid on it. You must have really loved your brother."

Duncan sighed staring up at the ceiling, "I did, but Quigley was an ass. He never took anything seriously, always goofing off and joking around. He was a ladies' man, had a new girlfriend every 2 or 3 weeks or so; with an annoying habit of stealing girls I was also interested in. Izzie and I yelled at him all the time for being so selfish and lazy. He'd get into fights with people, get detention all the time at school, it's a wonder he was never expelled, he treated our dad terribly too for no reason. But at the end of the day, he was our brother, and he would be there for us when we needed him. I only wish I'd had the chance to apologize, and tell him how much I loved having a brother like him."

She smiled as a few tears escaped his eyes, "I'm sure that he forgives you."

He turned to her, "You really think so?"

"Why shouldn't he? He must have loved you and Izzie just as much. A good brother will love you no matter what. Believe me I know."

"Thank you, Violet, it means a lot to hear you say that."

They smiled at each other quietly for a few moments.

"Did he really steal girls you liked?"

"Oh, yeah all the time, usually they were Izzie's friends. Of course being cursed with the same rugged good looks meant that once he eventually broke up with them I never had a chance again."

"Sounds like you were picking the wrong girls if they wouldn't give you a chance just because of your appearance."

"Yeah, I suppose I should just stick with a beautiful, intelligent, girl with long dark hair, gorgeous dark eyes, a lot of creativity and passion, a big heart, and a talent for making inventions that would put both Edison and Tesla to shame."

Violet blushed, "You flatter me, but I'm not nearly that good."

"I think you are."

"You're also heavily biased."

"Everyone's biased. Aren't I your favorite journalist?"

"You're the only journalist I've ever met that does it right. So I'd say yes."

"And you'll say yes if I ask you to be my girlfriend?"

"Ye- wait what?"

Duncan smiled at her, "I realize it's not the most appropriate time, but I just wanted to make it official. Before anything else happens, that is. Like I said, Violet, we do this together. So, what do you say?"

Violet grinned, "Yes; together to the end. I really wish I could kiss you right now, but it'll have to wait for a more appropriate time."

He chuckled, his cheeks reddening a bit, "I can wait. Of course, I do wish I was able to ask under more romantic circumstances."

"Duncan, I don't know if you realized, but we're in a bed together right now, I think we're as close to romantic circumstances as we're going to get for a while."

"And Quigley once said I'd never get a girl in bed with me."

"We've been following them everywhere and we haven't seen Violet or Duncan at all," Isadora said, worriedly.

Klaus squeezed her hand, "Don't panic, we just need another approach."

"Break," Sunny pointed to a nearby door marked "break room."

They hid inside as a few doctors rounded the corner. The room was small and cramped, and they weren't completely alone as a few employees were napping on cots along the wall. Isadora set Sunny down on a chair and turned to Klaus.

"What kind of approach were you thinking?"

"If we could just get a copy of the patient list we could find them instantly. But how?"

"Disga," Sunny suggested, which meant "Disguises?"

Klaus and Isadora looked around and saw several doctors' coats hanging on a rack; along with what looked to be a fake beard and a few surgical masks.

"Of course, if Olaf can use a disguise to fool all these doctors then maybe we can do the same thing."

Isadora grabbed the coats and they set to work on their disguises. She put on a nearby pair of boots over her shoes to make herself taller, since she was about a head shorter than Klaus, as she slipped a coat on. Klaus used the sleeves of one coat to make a sling to carry Sunny in and buttoned another coat over himself, making him appear a bit overweight. He put on the fake beard to hide his face; while Isadora hid hers with a surgical mask. They carefully regarded themselves in a mirror on the wall.

"They're not perfect, but it should work," Klaus said, "Don't forget to disguise your voice when someone talks to us."

"It may not be particularly wise, but it's a thrill to be disguised. I came up with that one while Duncan and I were doing those laps for you."

Klaus couldn't help smiling at her, "How do I look?"

"Honestly? You look ridiculous. Please promise me you'll never really grow a beard, you look so much better without one," Isadora replied, smiling under her mask, "How do I look?"

"Honestly, you look great," Klaus grabbed a pen and a couple name tags from the counter, "We'll need fake names too."

After assuming their fake identities, they checked the hallway before walking out of the room. The volunteers had just exited a room across the hall, and they stopped them.

"Excuse us, volunteers, my colleague and I seem to have misplaced our patient list and we were wondering if you could let us have yours," Klaus asked, doing his best to deepen his voice.

"Well, that's not good at all, a doctor is nothing without their patient list," The guitar playing volunteer said, "But I can't give you ours because otherwise we wouldn't have one. Oh, look there's another doctor you could ask him for a patient list!"

The two turned to see Count Olaf walking towards them. He was eyeing them suspiciously which put them on edge.

"What did you say," Olaf asked in his disguised voice.

Klaus glanced at the clipboard Olaf was holding, "We were just asking these nice volunteers if we could look at their patient list, but they won't let us."

"Perhaps we could have a look at yours, Dr. MedicalSchool," Isadora asked, providing her best British accent.

Olaf glanced between them, his eyes shining with curiosity, "Who are you?"

"I'm Dr. Elizabeth Byron, and this is my colleague Dr. Logan Faustus," Isadora replied.

"Dr. Faustus and Dr. Byron, I see. And where did you two graduate from? You look quite young."

"Oxford, of course, both of us," Klaus said.

"Oxford, that's not even a real place."

"Yes it is, where did you graduate from then," Isadora asked.

Olaf hesitated, "That's not any of your business. How did you lose your list?"

Klaus glanced at Isadora briefly as he racked his brain for a believable answer; however she beat him to it.

"Logan and I were conversing in the break room and someone must have grabbed it while we were distracted."

Olaf narrowed his eyes, and held up the clipboard and flipped it around once so they couldn't read it properly before putting it back down and smirking, "There, now you've had a look at the list."

He turned and walked away, and the volunteers behind them did the same. Klaus turned to Isadora once they were alone.

"Well that was a waste of time."

"Nada," Sunny said from inside Klaus' coat as she held out the patient list she had stolen from the clipboard.

Isadora grabbed the papers, "Good job, Sunny, I didn't even notice you do that."

"I should say nice work to you too, Izzie. Your accent was flawless."

Isadora giggled, "I watch a lot of British movies.

They hid inside a supply closet and quickly removed their disguises. Klaus flipped through the list.

"They're not there," He sighed.

"Alias," Sunny said.

"That's right he wouldn't possibly use their real names. He used an anagram," Klaus looked around the shelves and quickly grabbed a box of alphabet soup.

He dumped it out on the table and began picking out specific letters as he continued to explain, "Count Olaf has used multiple different anagrams. 'Al Funcoot' was the one he made up for his play The Marvelous Marriage where he tried to legally marry Violet-"

"He tried to what," Isadora asked with a horrified look on her face.

"Exactly, he was that desperate for our money. It wasn't legally binding because she didn't sign the document in her own hand. Then he made his henchperson call themselves 'Lucafont' which is another anagram. Which means all we have to do is search the list for any name that has the same letters as Violet Baudelaire. And if Duncan is with her then they should be listed together.

Isadora scanned over the list and stopped on a specific name, "Laura V. Bleediotie."

Klaus rearranged the same letters on the tray and breathed a sigh of relief, "Yep, Violet Baudelaire, we found her."

"She's in room 922 with... Quigley Quagmire," Isadora read, "That makes sense. When we ran into Olaf before the pep rally at Prufrock, he called Duncan 'Quigley' by mistake because we all look alike. And since Quigley is the one who died, he doesn't need to make an anagram."

Klaus began putting his and Sunny's disguise back on, "Then let's go find them, Dr. Byron. By the way, how'd you come up with the name 'Elizabeth'?"

Isadora put on her coat and mask, "It's my middle name."

"Room 922," Klaus opened the door and they stepped inside.

"They're not here," Isadora said.

"Who's not here," A voice from the doorway spoke; they turned to see Esmé staring curiously at them.

"Ahem, we were just looking for some patients," Klaus explained.

"Attention Heimlich Hospital, this is Dr. Matthias MedicalSchool. I'm calling to ask Dr. Faustus and Dr. Byron to report to the operating theater for surgery. We will be performing the world's first double cranioectomy on a young teenage couple."

"Well, 'cranio' means head, and 'ectomy' means the removal of..." Klaus and Isadora shared a thinly hidden look of horror.

Esmé grabbed the two of them from behind, "I'll escort you to the operating theater."

 **~End of Chapter**


	7. Moving Ahead of Schedule

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

The operating theater was packed with spectators as Klaus and Isadora were pushed inside. However, the people watching from the stands were not the first thing that caught the two disguised teens' attention. Their eyes locked onto the horrific sight in the center of the room. On the surgery table, were Violet and Duncan. They were under anesthesia and had the masks over their mouths; likely to hide their faces from the public audience. Count Olaf was addressing the crowd. Klaus glanced at Isadora and saw that she had the same scared look in her eyes as they stared down at their respective siblings.

"Ah, now that Dr. Faustus and Dr. Byron are here we can begin the procedure. A cranioectomy is an extremely difficult surgery that involves the removal of the patient's head. There's even a strong possibility that the patient might die during the procedure. This young couple you see before you is the first ever to participate in this. So very in love they were, but now they must tragically undergo the same surgery. Dr. Byron will operate on the boy, and Dr. Faustus will operate on the girl. Now get to it before the anesthesia wears off!"

Esmé handed Klaus and Isadora a long serrated knife each with a sinister grin. They took their positions beside the two patients. It was too risky to try to whisper to each other with so many people around. Isadora was just barely able to hold back tears as she watched her only brother lying helplessly on the table. Klaus looked down at his beloved sister and felt his heart ache at the thought of losing her. They had to do something. Olaf was going to make them kill their own siblings. His cruelty truly knew no bounds.

Klaus brought his hand up and covered his mouth to look like he was stroking his fake beard and whispered to Sunny inside his coat, "What do we do?"

"Stall," Sunny suggested quietly.

Klaus gave Isadora a knowing look before starting his plan, "Ahem, before we begin the surgery, I feel we should talk a bit about the tools we're using. That's what a good doctor would do. As you can see, this is a knife."

Klaus leaned back on the machine by the table and subtly switched it to pump in oxygen as he casually explained the history of knives in surgery. Isadora smiled a little under her mask as she realized what he was doing. She carefully watched the two patients for any sign of them waking. After a while, Olaf and Esmé stopped him.

"You can make this stop now if you give me the thing I came here for," Esmé whispered holding out her hand, "I know you have it and I want it."

Klaus swallowed nervously, "If it will spare Violet and Duncan's lives, then you can have it."

He reached into his pocket and handed her the Snicket File. She gripped it tightly and clutched it to her chest with a grin.

"Oh, at last, I finally have it! Wait, this isn't the sugar bowl... What's the Snicket File?"

Olaf grabbed the film out of her hands and disappeared from the room. Klaus, Sunny, and Isadora opted to remove their disguises and took the anesthesia masks off their siblings. It was at this point when Violet and Duncan finally woke up, and Hal entered the room asking about what happened in the Library of Records. Klaus set Sunny on top of Violet on the gurney but as he and Isadora were about to push it out of the room, Hal stopped them.

"Children, I want an explanation for what you did," He said.

"We're sorry Hal, we really are," Klaus said.

Duncan reached out subtly and took something from Hal's pocket before Sunny bent down and bit the old man's hand to force him to let them go. Klaus and Isadora pushed the gurney out through the halls, being followed closely by Olaf's henchmen. Over the intercom, they learned that Olaf had set the hospital on fire. After reaching a safe enough distance the five of them hid inside a broom closet and barred the door.

"I knew you guys would find us," Violet said as she hugged both of her siblings tightly.

"Oh, Duncan, he told me to-"

"I know, Izzie, I know. But I'm ok; look at me I'm ok," Duncan said holding his sister.

"We need to get out of here, before the fire reaches us. We had to give the Snicket File to Olaf so he would let us escape," Klaus said, "Violet, we need your help."

Violet instinctively reached into her pocket, "Wait... my ribbon! We didn't get it back."

Duncan cleared his throat, "Um, Violet."

She turned to him and saw that in his hand was her hair ribbon.

"I saw it in Hal's pocket and I remembered my promise-" He was interrupted as Violet wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.

Klaus, Isadora, and Sunny blinked in surprise at the scene. When they pulled apart, Violet took her ribbon from him and proceeded to tie her hair back with a grin.

"Thank you, Duncan," She said.

He grinned, "I couldn't let my girlfriend down; I'd never forgive myself if I did."

"Klaus open that window and tell me how far down the ground is," Violet commanded as her inventing brain went to work on a plan.

Klaus did as he was told, "There's a lot of smoke out there, and I can't tell for sure; probably 30 or 40 feet?"

Violet grabbed a rope from the shelf and tied it around a support beam, "If it's 40 feet we won't make it, but if it's 30 we might. Klaus you hold Sunny and I'll tie this around you and Isadora, Duncan and I will hold onto you guys when we jump."

"Ok I heard the rope part, but what was that about jumping," Duncan asked nervously.

"Exactly what I said honey, now everyone climb out the window and we'll jump from the ledge."

They did as they were told. Smoke was rapidly filling the sky as the fire was raging faster. The five of them held tightly to each other and jumped. They had been wrong about the height after all: it was 20 feet meaning Violet's invention had worked perfectly. Sunny cut the rope with her teeth and they hurried to a hiding spot outside the front of the hospital. Police officers, firemen and doctors were rushing around everywhere trying to get patients out of the blazing building to safety. The smoke hid the children from view, but they knew they had only a little time to come up with an escape plan. They noticed Count Olaf running to his car and could hear him as he shouted.

"This is the worst thing that could happen! According to that file, there might be a survivor of one of the two orphan brats' fires! Meaning they won't be orphans anymore!"

"Darling, all I care about is the fact that I was told that the sugar bowl was here and it wasn't," Esmé whined, "I need that sugar bowl!"

"And you'll have it soon, my love, but we're going to need a bit of help to find it. I don't care where those kids went off to," Olaf grabbed a flyer that had fallen on his windshield; "We're going to ask this Madame Lulu to tell us what we want to know."

"He can't possibly believe in a fortune teller right," Klaus asked.

"Apparently he does, but we shouldn't follow him," Violet said, "It'd be too dangerous."

Suddenly, a strange woman appeared beside them, seemingly having escaped the building herself, "Baudelaires, Quagmires, come with me if you want to get out of here and away from Count Olaf for good."

They eyed her suspiciously, but felt that taking her advice was the best course of action. They followed her to a nearby taxi and got inside with her. Violet held Sunny on her lap as she took the front seat with Klaus who had his arm wrapped protectively around his sister, while Duncan and Isadora climbed in back; wishing to sit with each other after being so close to losing one another. The woman pulled out a spyglass and watched through it as Olaf drove away before starting the car and driving off in a similar direction.

"Don't worry, we're not going to the same place he is. My name is Kit Snicket, I'm Jacques' sister, and I've been sent by Olivia Caliban to take you to the Mortmain Mountains."

The five children felt themselves fill with relief at the fact that she was a friend and not an enemy.

"Olivia Caliban? She was the librarian at Prufrock," Isadora noted.

"That she was, Isadora. But now she's a volunteer like me. She and Jacques were... they loved each other very much. Some of our agents in the hospital told her that the Baudelaires and the Quagmires had been found here together and she insisted that I take a detour after my primary objective to take you to the Mortmain Mountains."

"What's in the mountains?"

"The V.F.D. Headquarters, it's in the Valley of Four Drafts at the base of Mount Fraught. Once there, you will be provided with a boat to sail down the Stricken Stream and into the sea. Make sure you get to the sea within the next 4 days; it should take several hours to climb the terrain. Olivia is the volunteer playing Madame Lulu, and she will do her best to keep Olaf at Caligari Carnival for as long as she can so that he won't follow you. There is no real Madame Lulu, it's just a name for the volunteer in the position; it's a job that changes hands often."

"What do we do when we get to the sea," Klaus asked.

"Keep sailing until you are approached by a submarine called the Queequeg. Board it and Captain Widdershins will take you all to Briny Beach where I will be waiting for you in this very taxi. Do you know the code phrases you will need to gain the trust of the other volunteers?"

Isadora pulled Duncan's notebook out of her jacket along with her own and she began flipping through the pages as Duncan wrote down the instructions they were being told, "Yes we know the ones. We have them right here."

"Good job, I shouldn't have expected anything less from the children of Quinten and Karen Quagmire," Kit smiled, "Once we meet at Briny Beach I will explain our next course of action. Do you understand what I am telling you, children? I will not repeat these instructions. I am on a tight schedule."

"We understand completely, miss," Violet said, thankful to the woman who had just saved their lives, "But how are we supposed to get through the mountains?"

Kit nodded, "Look inside my glove compartment, Violet. There's a map of the whole area. One of the other volunteers will take you to the boat we've hidden for safety. In my trunk I have brought backpacks of basic supplies for you to take on your journey. Food, water, and a change of clothes for each of you are all I could spare on short notice, along with some pocket knives and ropes just in case. I'll be dropping you off a little ways up the trail before I have to go. My mission is top priority, I had to sneak into that burning hospital and steal the sugar bowl."

Violet was examining the map they were being given, "I don't see any marking for the headquarters."

"It's the coffee stain; it's a coded stain to keep it hidden from our enemies."

"What's so important about the sugar bowl," Duncan asked, "We saw it in a copy of The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations, but we still don't know what it's for."

"Esmé Squalor thinks that Beatrice stole it from her at a party, and that's pretty much what caused this whole mess."

Klaus hesitated, "Did she do it?"

"No, my brother Lemony did. Esmé never forgave Beatrice of course. They never did get along well. Beatrice was always telling Jerome that he shouldn't have married that woman. Any other questions you have to ask while we're on our way?"

Violet looked the woman over closely and asked a question that she hadn't meant to, and thought was rather impolite, but it slipped out anyway, "Are you pregnant?"

Kit smiled warmly and put a hand on her round stomach before putting it back on the steering wheel, "Yes I am, Violet. You don't have to feel bad for asking. I put on an oxygen mask to breathe while infiltrating the hospital so my baby wouldn't be hurt. I'm afraid that's part of the reason why I won't be joining you in the mountains. As much as I would love to stay with you children, I must continue my mission and get back to my husband as soon as possible."

"We understand, miss," Isadora said, "Climbing a mountain isn't something a pregnant woman should be doing. Congratulations by the way, from all of us," The others nodded and voiced their agreement.

"I appreciate that, thank you. Dewey and I are hoping it's a girl. Now if there's no further questions I recommend the five of you get some sleep; we'll reach the drop off point by morning if I drive all night and you'll need your energy."

The children thanked her for the help and drifted off into slumber as instructed. They didn't know much about Kit Snicket, but they knew all they needed to: she was a volunteer and she was helping them. Kit glanced at the children as they slept soundly the two sets of siblings resting comfortingly in each other's arms, obviously still shaken by the prospect of losing their remaining family members.

"When you drive away in secret you'll be a volunteer, so don't scream when we take you, the world is quiet here. I helped them, Lemony; I hope you can sleep easy tonight. And Jacques I know you're looking down on us right now with a smile. I'll miss you, brother, rest in peace..."

 **~End of chapter**


	8. Climbing the Trail

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

"Children, wake up, we're here."

The snow-capped Mortmain Mountains were a gorgeous sight that rose high above the flatness of the Hinterlands. The Baudelaires remembered their parents saying they would take them here someday, likely to visit the V.F.D. Headquarters and induct them into their secret organization. Duncan and Isadora commented on the fact that their parents might have done the same at some point. Kit opened the trunk of her taxi.

"I only have two backpacks, but there should be plenty of supplies for all of you to reach your destination safely," The woman explained, "I also have a few extra coats from my Various Fakery Disguises kit to keep you warm. I'd recommend just discarding them once you reach the water. I can always buy more."

Violet noticed that the coats were all a couple sizes too large for each of them. She proceeded to take one apart and make a sling to carry Sunny on her back, so she wouldn't have to walk, and keep her warm.

"Good thinking, Violet, always resourceful just like your mother," Kit complimented, "I hadn't had time to find a coat small enough for Sunny. Oh, by the way, here. I always carry extra spy-glasses and I figured you would benefit from a brand new one."

She handed Klaus and Isadora each a shiny new spyglass, and took their fused old one throwing it in her trunk.

"What are those fencing masks for," Duncan asked, as he put on the backpack Kit handed him.

She held out a mask for each of them, all putting them on instantly, Sunny's was a little big for her, "These will protect your identities. Tourists frequent this area for hiking and we don't want you attracting attention to yourselves. Besides they'll also keep you safe from the snow gnats."

"Snow gnats," Isadora asked, putting on her backpack, "Aren't gnats harmless?"

"Usually yes, but I remember reading a book about the Mortmain Mountain snow gnats. They fly around in swarms and love to sting people for no reason whatsoever," Klaus explained.

"If you do run into people they will probably assume you're Snow Scouts with those masks on. Snow Scouts come here once a year to do some special tradition that involves climbing Mount Fraught; I was never a scout so I don't know anything about it myself. It's the perfect way to hide yourselves; since they use the same masks."

Kit started to get back into her car, but Violet grabbed her arm, "Kit, before you go we just wanted to say thank you for helping us so much. But we have to ask, we found the Snicket File in the hospital and on it... Jacques said there might be a survivor of one of our house fires. Do you know anything about that?"

Kit frowned at her, "I'm sorry my friends, but I don't know anything. Jacques and I were working closely with our brother on this case, but he never mentioned anything about a survivor to me the last time I saw him. I'm truly sorry... but if someone did survive they are most likely hiding at the headquarters. That's all I'm able to say."

"That's all we need then," Klaus said, "We'll ask around when we get there."

"And I will be sure to do more for you once we meet again. Make sure you arrive on time. Volunteers... value punctuality. Now if you'll excuse me," Kit held up a small blue and white sugar bowl, "I have a mission to attend to. I looked down at Caligari Carnival as you were waking up, Olaf met Madame Lulu in the early hours of the morning, and she'll stall him for as long as she can. Good luck on your mission, volunteers."

She saluted them before getting into her car and proceeded to drive back down the mountain trail, leaving the children on the path. They all smiled at each other behind their protective masks. Kit might not have been able to answer the one question that was burning in their minds, but she at least gave them a direction to search for an answer. To them, that was more than enough. Violet secured Sunny on her back with Klaus' help, not even caring that the toddler was getting a bit heavy to be carried like this. Duncan grabbed her hand as they started walking up the path ahead with Klaus and Isadora following them. They agreed they would look through their supplies later once they had found a spot to rest. Violet pulled out their map as she and Duncan led the way.

"So, Duncan, I see you and Violet finally put a label on your relationship," Isadora said, teasingly, "Don't think we didn't see you guys kiss."

Though she couldn't see her brother's face she could tell he was rolling his eyes and possibly smirking, "Yeah, we have, we're officially dating now. Maybe you should put a label on yours Miss I like to Make out with Bookworms in Hospital Construction Sites."

"Hey! That was one kiss!"

"Right, we don't know how long you guys were alone. You really expect us to believe that," Violet replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "And I don't even want to know what would have happened if we hadn't interrupted."

Klaus grabbed Isadora's hand to get her attention as the others continued on ahead and whispered, "Can we talk for a second, please?"

Isadora nodded and they slowed their walking pace but kept their siblings in view so they wouldn't lose each other, "What's up?"

"Um... about that kiss... Isadora, I really meant it when I said I wanted to do that. Look, you're amazing and beautiful, and I'm crazy about you, and nothing would make me happier in the world than for you to be my girlfriend," He spoke quickly; she could tell he was nervous.

The poet squeezed his hand gently, and felt her heart flutter at his adorable confession, "I'm crazy about you too Klaus; I'd love to be your girlfriend. I'll always keep you in my heart, so it feels like we're together even if we're apart."

She removed her mask for a moment and lifted his off as well before kissing him softly. Klaus grinned shyly at her before they replaced their masks.

"We saw that," Duncan and Violet said from a distance.

Klaus and Isadora looked up at their siblings and replied in unison, "We don't care," as they hurried over to catch up with them.

"Bleck," Sunny said, meaning, "Teenagers are disgusting."

Violet laughed at her sister's comment, "You might not think that way forever, Sunny. Some grown-ups happen to like kissing."

Sunny rolled her eyes through her mask, "Weird."

"You'll understand when you're older," Isadora replied, "Maybe someday you'll meet that special person that'll change your mind."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Klaus said.

"She's learning to talk more every day. You two might have to face the fact that your baby sister is growing up," Duncan said.

"I'm not a baby."

They all froze. Klaus and Violet looked at each other for a moment.

"What did you say, Sunny?"

"I'm not a baby," The small girl repeated.

That was the first complete sentence she had ever said. The two elder Baudelaires smiled holding back a few tears of pride. Duncan and Isadora grinned at them, feeling proud of their young friend as well.

"You're right Sunny; you're not a baby anymore," Violet said.

"I guess we spent so long with you that we didn't even notice," Klaus agreed softly.

"Uh, I hate to ruin this family moment, but do you guys hear something," Duncan asked, nervously.

They all stood quietly for several moments before hearing the noise he had been referring to. From up the mountain trail they heard a loud buzzing sound. They looked up to see a huge swarm of snow gnats coming right for them. Violet put away their map and they hurried up the trail in an attempt to escape the insects. The bugs swarmed around them trying desperately to find any visible skin on their bodies to sting. Sunny ducked holding onto Violet's shoulders as the others huddled close together.

"The masks seem to be working, but we can't just let them follow us the whole time," Duncan noted, having to raise his voice to be heard over the deafening buzz of the gnats.

"This must be their territory; we need a way past them."

"The map showed a cave close by up here, perhaps we can hide inside until they go away," Violet suggested, "Follow me."

They continued up the trail, the gnats refusing to give up as they circled the group. Sure enough, Violet was correct about the cave she saw on their map. They quickly ducked inside and breathed a collective sigh of relief as the annoying bugs retreated from the entrance.

"That worked a little too well," Isadora said.

"Yeah, I wonder what caused them to go away so easily," Klaus said.

"Does anyone smell smoke," Violet asked.

She got her answer when they all turned and saw within the cave a campfire with many children and one adult gathered around it. However, they noticed that the fact that they had run into people was the least of their problems when they heard a shrill, annoying, voice that the five of them had hoped they would never hear again.

"Hey you cake sniffers!"

"Oh, shit," Duncan and Isadora muttered under their breath.

 **~End of Chapter**


	9. The Survivor

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

"Hey you cake sniffers," The unmistakable voice of Carmelita Spats screeched, "This is a private cave, go away!"

These must have been the Snow Scouts that Kit had told them about. There were about 20 children gathered around the fire, all wearing the same masks over their faces. Even the adult had one.

"Who's there Carmelita," The adult asked.

"I see a group of shadows by the entrance, Uncle Bruce. They look like cake sniffers!"

"Show yourselves," The man apparently named Bruce commanded.

The group of orphans stepped closer to the scout troop, thankful for their masks hiding their identities, as Violet spoke up, "We're just travelers, sir. The snow gnats attacked us and we wanted to rest here for a moment then we'll be on our way."

"Absolutely not," Carmelita said, "This is where the Snow Scouts are camping, on our way to celebrate False Spring and crown me queen, and we don't want any cake sniffers spoiling our fun!"

"Now, now, Carmelita, Snow Scouts are supposed to be accommodating, remember? It's part of the Snow Scout Alphabet Pledge," Bruce said.

"I don't want to be accommodating," Carmelita whined, "I'm the False Spring Queen so I get to do whatever I want!"

"You're not the queen yet, not until we crown you in a few days," Said the voice of a patient boy, "Come sit by the fire travelers."

"That's the spirit, kid," Bruce said," Come on scouts, let's all say the Snow Scout Alphabet Pledge together."

As the group sat down with the other children the cave echoed with every other person besides them talking in perfect unison as they said their scout pledge.

"Snow Scouts are accommodating, basic, calm, darling, emblematic, frisky, grinning, human, innocent, jumping, kept, limited, meek, nap-loving, official, pretty, quarantined, recent, scheduled, tidy, understandable, victorious, wholesome, xylophone, young, and zippered every morning, every afternoon, every night, and all day long!"

The Baudelaires and the Quagmires looked at each other in confusion. Most pledges don't seem to make sense, but this was probably the most confusing of all. One person couldn't possibly be all these things at once. And they were even more confused about how a person could be "xylophone" as it was an instrument not an adjective. The Snow Scouts ended their pledge with a long breath that imitated the wind outside; which only added to how strange they were. Klaus removed Sunny from Violet's makeshift sling and set her on his lap, making sure her over-sized mask had not fallen off accidentally. Isadora held his hand as she moved to sit close to him, while Violet and Duncan held hands and sat close together as well.

"There's nothing like ending the Snow Scout Alphabet Pledge with a snowy sound," Bruce said.

The Snow Scouts were all dressed in white uniforms with glittery pink letters on the backs of their coats spelling out their pledge. Bruce was wearing an ugly plaid coat and holding a lit cigar in his hand, though he couldn't possibly smoke it through his mask. The only other exception appeared to be a boy sitting beside the orphans who was wearing a light blue jacket with several large pockets and a backpack sitting at his feet.

"I see you travelers were smart to wear those masks. The snow gnats would have eaten you alive otherwise," Bruce explained, "My name is Bruce! But you can call me Uncle Bruce, though I am most certainly not your uncle. Would you like to join the Snow Scouts? We're on our annual Snow Scout Hike where we climb Mount Fraught and celebrate False Spring by crowing my niece, Carmelita, Queen and dancing around the Spring Pole."

"What's False Spring," Isadora asked.

"It's a time of year where for one day the weather on the mountains gets unusually warm and the Stricken Stream source melts for a while before it freezes over again."

The children now understood why Kit was so serious about them being on schedule. The only way they could reach the sea was by taking the boat down the stream on the day of False Spring. Through their masks they glanced apprehensively at each other at the new information.

"How could a person possibly be 'xylophone,'" Klaus asked before he could stop himself.

"Uncle Bruce couldn't think of another word that started with X," The blue jacketed scout answered.

"What about xenial," Klaus started, "It means-"

"You can't change the words of the Snow Scout Alphabet Pledge," Bruce interrupted; he then went into a lengthy explanation about how the snow scouts always do the same things every year in exactly the same way.

"And we don't have to worry about disturbing any wild animals either. Bears used to live in these caves but they all vanished for some reason," Bruce finished.

"Not bears," The blue jacketed scout whispered to them so softly they had to lean in to hear him, "They were lions. But not just any lions: they were Volunteer Feline Detectives."

The five gasped quietly and Duncan spoke up, "Did you say-"

The mysterious boy shook his head as if it was unsafe to talk at the moment. Bruce announced that it was time for Snow Scout Story Time, where they apparently choose a scout to tell a story. He recommended that the Baudelaires and Quagmires tell a story since they were their guests today. Carmelita whined in response, but nobody else seemed to mind.

"I'm sure the travelers have a wonderful story to tell," The mystery boy said, "I'd love to hear a Very Fascinating Drama."

Duncan and Isadora glanced at each other through their masks as they recognized the code words from their notes. Carmelita whined about them not starting the story yet. Duncan spoke first.

"I'm sorry for the delay; we haven't had a Very Fun Day," The journalist said carefully, "So it's difficult to think of a good story."

"I didn't realize this was a sad occasion," The scout replied.

"Oh, yes," Isadora said, "We've had nothing to eat all day except for some Vinegar-Flavored Doughnuts."

"And then there were the snow gnats," Violet said, "They behaved like Violent Frozen Dragonflies."

"When they form an arrow," Klaus said, "They're more like a Voracious Fierce Dragon."

"Or a Vain Fat Dictator I imagine," The scout nodded slowly at them to show he had received the message.

"That's the most boring story I've ever heard. Let me tell one," Carmelita shouted as she went into a rendition of a story about herself.

The Baudelaires and the Quagmires knew now that they could not leave the cave until they were able to speak to the mystery scout. The five of them silently agreed that he must be the volunteer they were meant to meet. After several hours of snow scout story time, the orphans were offered marshmallows from the other children. With the explanation from Bruce being that Snow Scouts eat marshmallows until they are sick before going to bed. They found it rather irksome to have to constantly look down to eat their marshmallows. After the other scouts were full to bursting with marshmallow goodies, they all piled their blankets together and went to bed for the night, as it appeared to be night based on the cave darkening after the fire was put out.

The orphans carefully surveyed the area before slowly getting up from their spots. Violet and Klaus put Sunny back into her carrying sling as Duncan and Isadora put their backpacks back on. The mystery scout approached them.

"Follow me, volunteers," He whispered, "I know a shortcut to the Headquarters."

They obeyed as he led them to the very back of the cave where the fire had been previously. On his backpack they noticed that he had the V.F.D. insignia on it, one they originally thought was an eye before meeting Jacques. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a spyglass. He turned on its flashlight function and pointed it above them as he started to explain.

"You might have noticed where the fire's smoke was in here. It was being let out through this opening. I'm not sure if Bruce knew what this was, but it kept the smoke from filling the cave at least."

"What is it," Klaus asked quietly.

"It's called a Vertical Flame Diversion. And I promise I will answer any other questions you have once we reach the headquarters, but we can't talk now. Bruce is a light sleeper. It serves as a chimney and a secret passageway. It connects directly to the Valley of Four Drafts. We can reach the Headquarters in no time. There used to be a pole you'd slide down but it's gone. We'll have to climb using the foot holds in the walls," He gestured to Violet and Sunny, "Your little friend will have to hang on tight as you climb. I'll go first; the smoke inside hasn't left entirely but our masks should filter the air. It'll echo too so we have to stay quiet. Just start following one by one as the others reach a good distance."

The children looked suspiciously at him through their masks.

"Before we agree to do this, answer us one question, why should we trust you," Isadora asked.

The scout looked down for a moment before facing his mask to them again, "One of you mentioned the word xenial when asking Bruce about the silly pledge. Xenial is the word which refers to the giving of gifts to a stranger."

"He's right," Klaus whispered to them.

"I know having a good vocabulary doesn't guarantee that I'm a good person," He continued, "But it does mean I've read a great deal, and in my experience, well-read people are less likely to be evil."

The five children looked at each other. There was some truth to his statement. And they figured it was better to take their chances with a stranger who knew what xenial meant rather than fight their way up the mountain trail against the snow gnats to reach the Headquarters. They had wasted almost the entire day with the scouts and only had so long to reach their destination. Sure they had the rest of the night to travel but knew that sleep was essential to staying on course. After Prufrock, none of them would ever take a good night's rest for granted ever again. They nodded their masks and the mystery scout turned and began climbing the foot holds of the tunnel.

Once he was a good distance up, Violet climbed next with Sunny holding tightly on her back, then Duncan, Klaus insisted that Isadora go next as he wanted to ensure her safety by going last, just in case a scout woke up. She gave a quick hug in response to the sweet gesture. The masks filtered most of the smoke out as the scout had noted, but it was still rather hard to breathe in the tunnel. They had to fight very hard not to cough. The diversion was longer than expected and the six children felt as though it went on forever as they climbed higher and higher.

They hadn't known what to expect once they reached the top one by one. The scout went on ahead a little in the curved hallway opening they had reached. Violet turned to help Duncan up as he reached her, then the two helped Isadora and Klaus to the safe landing. The only source of light in the hall was the early morning sunlight coming through a grate on the ceiling. They followed the stranger through the hall before finally reaching what appeared to be a door.

"Smoke comes out through that ceiling grate. It's in the center of the Valley of Four Drafts, so the smoke is scattered to the four winds. V.F.D. doesn't want people to see any smoke; they might investigate," The scout whispered.

"Where there's smoke, there's fire," Violet said.

"Exactly. The whole organization is a secret; it took me forever to find this place. I even had to draw my own map."

Violet pulled their map out of her pocket and showed it to him, "We were given one."

"I guess I'll have some questions for you guys too when we get inside," The scout reached into his jacket and pulled out a dark purple notebook.

Duncan and Isadora visibly flinched and looked at each other for a moment without saying anything.

"Now take a look at this," The stranger pointed his spyglass light to the door behind him, which had a peculiar looking device stuck to it.

The device looked like a typewriter had been attached to the door with several long wires jutting out in various directions. Violet felt her inventing instincts tingle as she examined the device.

"What is this," Duncan asked.

The boy opened his notebook and began flipping through pages, "It's called a Vernacularly Fastened Door, and it should open to the V.F.D. Headquarters. But in order to open it we need to type in the correct code phrases into this typewriter. I have the three clues, but I don't know all the answers. I hope you guys can help."

"We'll do our best," Isadora said, "What's the first clue?"

"Who is the scientist most widely credited with the discovery of gravity?"

"That's easy," Violet replied, she leaned over the typewriter and put in Sir Isaac Newton, the lock began to tick and the wires started moving slightly.

"Ok next is the Latin name for the Volunteer Feline Detectives."

"You said they were lions right," Duncan said, "So, the answer is _Panthera Leo_."

He typed in the correct sequence and the lock started to buzz softly.

"It seems to be working," Violet commented, "What's the last clue?"

The boy sighed heavily, "That's the one I don't know. Another volunteer told me it was the central theme of Leo Tolstoy's novel Anna Karenina. But I couldn't find a copy to read before I got here."

The others all smirked under their masks.

"Mr. Smart Researcher here probably knows, right," Isadora said nudging Klaus.

Klaus was thankful that his mask hid his blushing face at his girlfriend's flattering comment as he replied confidently, "Yeah I know what book you're talking about."

"So modest," Duncan chuckled.

"It's a long theme, but I can type fast," Klaus started typing as he answered the question, "A rural life of moral simplicity, despite its monotony, is the preferable personal narrative to a daring life of impulsive passion, which only leads to tragedy."

The door quivered as he typed in the final words. The six of them watched in anticipation as the door went silent for several moments, their hearts beating out of their chests, before opening at last. Though as it opened the children felt their relief turn to shock at the sight before them.

Whatever was left of the once luxurious V.F.D. Headquarters was gone. They walked out into the chilly mountain air as they examined the ashen remains of what appeared to have been a massive kitchen. Among the ruins appeared to be a handful of silverware, a refrigerator, a trombone, the pendulum of a grandfather clock, a piece of a spyglass, just like the ones they carried, an ice cream scoop, lying forlornly in a pile of ashes encrusted with burnt sugar, and an iron archway emblazoned with the words "V.F.D. Library," but there was nothing beyond the archway but piles and piles of blackened remains. Isadora gently grabbed Klaus' hand as he stared past the archway, knowing full well how this must have affected him. It was a devastating sight as they all looked around, treading softly over the ashes and snow.

The only other thing that looked untouched by the flames was a sheer, white wall that rose high beyond the refrigerator up as far as they could see. It took them a minute to realize that this was the frozen waterfall rising up in a slippery slope towards the source of the Stricken Stream on Mount Fraught. The exact place they intended to reach.

"It must have been beautiful," The scout said.

Klaus helped Sunny out of her sling and set her on the ground and the five of them followed the boy over to gaze down at a frozen pool at the bottom of the waterfall. The pool branched off into two directions, curving around the Mortmain Mountains until they disappeared from view. They then heard a loud click as the Vernacularly Fastened Door resealed itself behind them.

"Do you... Do you think any volunteers-" Violet started.

"There's no sign that anyone else was here," The scout interrupted.

"We found a file. The Snicket File, and in it Jacques Snicket said that there may have been a survivor of one of our two families' house fires. We were told by Kit Snicket that if a survivor did exist that we would probably find them here," Duncan said.

"Come on everyone, we need to get moving," Klaus said, "I'm sure Kit didn't know what happened otherwise she wouldn't have sent us here."

The five children started to walk away from the scout. They were here on a mission and they had no time to waste any longer. Even with the Headquarters in ruins, their instructions from Kit were still top priority.

"Wait! Wherever you're going I want to go with you," The scout insisted.

Duncan and Isadora turned to him, and the two asked the question they hadn't been able to yet, "Who are you anyway?"

The scout reached up and removed his mask at last and dropped it on the ground, revealing his messy black hair, wide, green eyes, and identical facial features to the journalist and the poet.

"My name is Quigley Quagmire, I survived the fire that killed my parents, and I came here looking for my brother and sister."

 **~End of Chapter**


	10. Triplets' Reunion

**Begin!**

 **Very important note: according to Duncan and Isadora, they lived at Prufrock for 3 semesters before the Baudelaires arrived; that's a year and a half, meaning their fire happened long before the Baudelaires'. I'm taking liberties with Quigley's survival story because a lot of the book information implies that he might be lying, since nearly everything he says contradicts his siblings' statement. Basically, book Quigley says he arrived at Dr. Montgomery's house right after the Baudelaires left to live with Aunt Josephine. This creates a massive plot hole that I am going to attempt to reason around for the sake of my story, and for not making Quigley look as untrustworthy as the book has always made him appear to me. Aside from that, it will remain the same.**

 **~Normal POV**

Duncan and Isadora froze in stunned silence as the scout introduced himself. The Baudelaires watched from behind them with the same shocked feeling. The five of them had believed that Quigley Quagmire was dead, yet here he was standing right in front of them. There was no mistaking it. He looked exactly like the two triplets for the most part. There were some minor differences; Duncan usually did his best to keep his hair neat while Quigley's was a bit longer, messy and unkempt, and in a different style from his brother. Isadora had brown eyes while both her brothers had green eyes; aside from gender this was one of the few things that kept her looking distinctively different from the two boys. After the initial shock seemed to wear off, Duncan and Isadora removed their masks, dropping them carelessly on the ground. It was now Quigley's turn to freeze in disbelief.

"Duncan... Isadora...?"

Quigley spoke their names so softly they just barely heard him, his voice cracked slightly. Everything went quiet again for a moment before the journalist and the poet grabbed their brother in a tight hug; the triplets letting out tears of joy.

"We thought you were dead!"

"I made it out!"

"Oh, my god I can't believe you're here!"

"We're together again!"

"Oh, god, I missed you guys so much!"

The Baudelaires smiled at each other as they watched the scene. Though a very small part of them had hoped that the survivor would have been a member of their family; they didn't feel disappointed at all about being wrong. A set of triplets had been reunited, and the happiness on their faces dismissed any negative feelings they would have had otherwise. Even in the ashes of the destroyed V.F.D. Headquarters they had managed to find something that made them happy. As Isadora had said back at the hospital, it was still a person that was alive, and that was what mattered above all else.

"I can't believe I didn't recognize you guys," Quigley said wiping his eyes, "I kind of feel pretty stupid, don't I?"

"Probably, but it's nice to know that I'm still the better looking one," Duncan replied.

"We all look the same you jerk," Quigley laughed.

"Boys, please," Isadora said, grinning, "We all agreed that I'm the best looking one!"

The two Quagmire boys laughed, "You're right Izzie."

Quigley looked over at the Baudelaires, who had not yet removed their masks, "Uh, sorry who are your friends?"

Duncan and Isadora turned and beckoned them to come and introduce themselves.

Violet removed her mask first, "It's nice to finally meet you, Quigley. I'm Violet Baudelaire, and these are my siblings Klaus and Sunny. I'm Duncan's girlfriend."

Quigley leaned down to shake Sunny's hand after she took off her mask, "Charmed," Sunny said.

"We've heard a lot about you," Klaus said, adjusting his glasses after removing his mask.

"Wait, you're Duncan's girlfriend," The cartographer asked staring at Violet for a few moments before turning to his brother, "What's wrong with her?"

Duncan glared, "What's that supposed to mean? There's nothing wrong with Violet."

"Oh, I'm just saying that a girl as gorgeous as her must have something wrong with her if she chose you over a real man like me," Quigley smirked, "I'm good with ladies, and I must say you are quite a beautiful one indeed."

Violet stared at him before responding slowly, "Um, that's flattering, I think, but Duncan and I are happy together. I'm not sure why that bothers you, but it's not changing anytime soon."

Duncan wrapped his arm around her waist, "Sheesh, he comes back from the dead and the first thing he does is hit on my girlfriend. You really haven't changed, Quigley."

Quigley rolled his eyes, "Alright, I'm not judging. But listen, gorgeous, if you decide you'd rather be with a real man I'm always available."

Isadora smacked the back of his head, "Quigley knock it off, Violet is my best friend and you know how I feel about you talking to my friends like that."

Violet whispered to Duncan, "I see what you meant, he is an ass."

Duncan nodded, "Tell me about it."

"Ow!"

Duncan and Violet looked up to see Klaus now lying on the ground, holding his leg after Quigley had apparently kicked him in the shin.

"What the hell do you think you're doing putting your hands on my sister," Quigley asked, glaring down at the researcher.

"Quigley, it's ok! Klaus is my boyfriend!"

Duncan held back a snort of laughter as Violet helped her brother stand up.

"You allowed this," Quigley asked turning to Duncan, "I thought we agreed that we wouldn't let this happen without our permission."

"Dude, you were dead! What was I supposed to say?"

Isadora rolled her eyes as she hugged Klaus, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," Klaus laughed lightly, "Though if that's how he's going to react to me just holding your hand then maybe we should hold off on the PDA for a while."

Isadora kissed him on the cheek, which earned a disgusted look from Quigley, "Get used to it, big brother."

"Quigley, Klaus is a good guy and he's treated Izzie with nothing but respect since the day they met," Duncan explained, "He promised me he'd keep her safe, and as his best friend I know he'll keep that promise."

Quigley eyed Klaus suspiciously before responding, "Alright, but I'm watching you."

"Mission," Sunny spoke up alerting them back to their situation.

"Right, Kit Snicket gave us instructions to get to the sea within the next 3 days. We were supposed to meet a volunteer who would provide us with a boat to sail down the Stricken Stream," Violet said, pulling out their map once more.

"Let me see that," Quigley took the map and studied it closely, "The only way you'd be able to sail a boat is on the day of False Spring. According to this we would make it if we went down the left path. Why did she tell you to go to the sea?"

"We're supposed to board a submarine there called the Queequeg," Duncan answered, reading his notes, "Captain Widdershins is taking us to Briny Beach where Kit will be waiting for us with the next phase of our plan."

Quigley smiled at the sight of the dark green notebook, "I never thought I'd see that notebook again."

Duncan grinned, "Yeah well I nearly had a heart attack when we saw you pull yours out before you told us who you were. All I could think was, 'who's this asshole that has my dead brother's commonplace book?'"

Quigley laughed, "Yeah I imagine it was pretty shocking. Anyway, if you guys will have me I would love to join you on your mission."

"Of course, why would you think we wouldn't want you? You're our brother, and we're not leaving these mountains without you," Isadora said, "But before anything else, Quigley, we need to know: how did you survive?"

Quigley smiled, "Sit down and I'll tell you."

They all sat down, took some of their food out of their backpacks, and the six of them ate while listening intently as Quigley told his story.

 _I was sitting in the library that night studying a map of Finite Forest. You guys were asleep already in our room. Suddenly, I heard glass breaking and smelled smoke. Mom ran inside and told me there was a fire. I didn't know what happened to you guys. Mom grabbed me and moved the rug that sat in front of her desk to reveal a trap door. She shoved me inside it and said, "Wait here until I come back with your brother and sister."_

 _So, I obeyed. I could hear the house collapsing around me as I sat there and waited. But mom never came back... When I heard the fire finally die down I tried to open the door but something heavy must have fallen on it because it wouldn't budge no matter how hard I pushed. I started crying because I didn't know if the rest of you made it out. After a while I realized that I wasn't in a panic room, I was in a secret tunnel. So, I started walking. The tunnel connected to a lot of different directions; there were even some signs to point the way. I had my notebook with me, so I started drawing a map of the tunnels to occupy my mind._

 _When I reached the end of one path I met a man named Jacques Snicket. He was apparently using the tunnels too on his way to the ruins of our mansion to investigate the fire. He told me you went to attend Prufrock and I damn near burst with happiness at the fact that you were alive. I begged him to take me to you, but he refused. He said it was too dangerous for me to be seen since the papers all said I was dead. I explained that our trap door was blocked and he wouldn't be able to get out that way, to which he thanked me for, but said he had other ways to get there. He commanded me to come with him, saying he would protect me, so I did._

 _You guys were at Prufrock for a year and a half while I was traveling around with Jacques. He would always tell me to hide whenever we went somewhere. Some months ago he took me back through the tunnels and sent me to stay alone in this old herpetologist's house. At least that's what it looked like, there were empty cages everywhere and most of the library books were about snakes, so I could only assume. But it looked like nobody lived there anymore._

 _"That was our Uncle Monty's house," Klaus said, "He was murdered by Count Olaf."_

 _"I'm sorry to hear that. Jacques told me about Count Olaf and he also told me about a fire that happened a little over 2 weeks prior to us arriving at the house. The victims were the Baudelaires, but you guys were at the beach so you were spared."_

 _Jacques then told me that he had a lot of investigating to do. He said to just stay in the house unless something dangerous happens. And for a while he would come and go, sometimes disappearing for days at a time. I had plenty of food, and I slept on the staircase at night to watch the door for intruders. He gave me a spyglass and told me a little about V.F.D. and how both our families were involved in it. He said he was working closely with his two siblings on the Baudelaire case, because it could finally bring Count Olaf to justice. He told me a little about you guys and your adventures. Then Jacques left to do some interviewing in a place called Paltryville, but he never came back. I waited weeks for him... you guys said you met Kit Snicket. She was his sister; does she know what happened to him?_

 _"He we murdered just days ago in the Village of Fowl Devotees down in the Hinterlands, Count Olaf framed us for it, but we know it was him. That's why we were given those masks, to protect our identities while the world thinks we're killers," Violet explained, solemnly._

 _"Oh... I... He was my friend."_

 _Jacques said that there was a schism in the organization years ago but I don't know what that means. And I don't even know what V.F.D. stands for._

 _"Volunteer Fire Department," Isadora answered, "Duncan and I read it in The Incomplete History of Secret Organizations. They dedicate themselves to putting out fires, literally and figuratively. Their motto is, 'The world is quiet here.'"_

 _"A schism means a division between groups of people due to different ideas or beliefs. I guess one side decided it would be better to start fires," Klaus said._

 _Well, after a while I heard a loud crash from inside the glass room in the back of the house. Someone had thrown a lit torch inside. I grabbed whatever supplies I could carry in my bag that Jacques left for me and used the trap door under the library to escape as the house burned down. I didn't know what else to do except start walking, hoping I would find my way to Prufrock or at least to another member of V.F.D. According to the newspapers, Count Olaf had kidnapped you two, and you Baudelaires were sent to Dark Avenue. I found the tunnel that led me to Paltryville and found myself in an old optometrist's office. From there I decided that going through the forest was a better choice and that's where I ran into the Snow Scouts. I disguised myself with a mask, never told anyone my name, not that they even asked, and just traveled with them until we got here a few days ago._

 _I understand that staying with them wasn't the most useful thing for my quest, but at least I was able to survive; even if there were multiple times where I wanted to just off myself from having to listen to Carmelita Spats all the time._

"I'd rather eat a bowl of vampire bats, than spend an hour with Carmelita Spats."

Quigley laughed, "Damn I missed your poetry, Izzie. I assume you guys met her at Prufrock then. She said she went there."

"We did," Duncan said, "Though we wouldn't have met the Baudelaires if we hadn't told Carmelita to stop bullying them. Best decision we ever made."

"If we hadn't met the Baudelaires we would never have found you again," Isadora said smiling.

"What do now," Sunny asked.

"Well, Kit said they hid the boat for safety. We don't know for sure, but if Kit said that Olivia set this up for us, then that means the boat is still in its hiding place despite the fire. Which looks relatively recent based on observation. We just need to find it," Violet answered.

Quigley looked up at the frozen waterfall, "If I had to guess, it might be at the top of Mount Fraught. If you were told to get to the water on the day of False Spring, then the Stricken Stream source is where it's most likely been put. But there's something else I need your help with."

He took out his notebook once more and flipped through, "There's something called Verbal Fridge Dialogue. It's used by volunteers to send secret messages through items in a refrigerator. Perhaps there's something left in this library to help us figure it out."

Quigley handed a blue notebook to Klaus, "I always carry a spare, you could make good use out of a commonplace book."

"Thank you," Klaus replied standing up, "It'll be perfect for my research notes. I'll look through the library and see what I can find. Sunny, grab everything you see in that refrigerator and bring it to me."

"Roger," Sunny replied walking over to the fridge.

"I'll go with you, Klaus," Isadora said following him.

Violet began tying her hair back, "While you guys are working on that I'll see about making some kind of invention to get us up Mount Fraught."

"Quigley, we should probably go with Klaus and Isadora since our notes can probably help them more," Duncan said holding up his notebook.

"You sure Violet won't need any help?"

Duncan grinned at his girlfriend as she began examining the remains, "Nah, she's a great inventor she doesn't need any help."

As Duncan pulled Quigley away with him, he didn't notice Violet had heard his compliment. She smiled to herself as a blush crossed her cheeks before grabbing several things off the ground and setting to work.

 **~End of Chapter**


	11. The Slippery Slope

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

"A jar of mustard, a container of olives, three jars of different kinds of jam, a bottle of lemon juice, a pickle in a small glass jug, and a few strands of some Very Fresh Dill," Isadora listed off the items Sunny had brought to them.

Klaus had shifted through several piles of ashes and found a scrap of paper that explained how the code worked. He copied the instructions into his notebook as Isadora set the fridge items around them in a semicircle. The researcher examined the items while glancing at his notes. He picked up the glass jug and lemon juice and set them aside to discard them.

"Verbal Fridge Dialogue is an emergency communication system that involves using esoteric items from a refrigerator to send a secret message to other volunteers," Klaus read, "It says volunteers will know such code is being used by the presence of Very Fresh Dill. Or at least that's what it should say, the sentence cuts off there."

"What does esoteric mean," Isadora asked.

"In this case, it means things that aren't used much, or things that stay in the refrigerator for a long time. Much like the things we found here."

"So, we know that someone sent a message," Duncan said, "But how do we figure out what it's about or who it's for?"

"The receiver should first find their initials, then there's a poem, 'The darkest of the jams of three, contains within the addressee.'"

"That's a couplet," Isadora noted, "Just like mine. It seems to say the receiver's initials will be inside the darkest of the three jams."

Quigley examined the jars, "There's apricot, strawberry, and boysenberry. Boysenberry is the darkest."

He opened the jar and revealed the letters J.S. had been carved into the surface.

"J.S. so the message is for Jacques Snicket," Duncan wrote, "But he's dead."

"I guess whoever wrote it doesn't know that. Next it says they use a small, rounded fruit to tell how many days until something happens. Meaning the number of olives in that jar represents a set number of days," Klaus continued, "How many are there?"

Duncan picked up the jar and counted, "There's six, meaning six days, so that would be on Friday. Based on the date we saw in the newspaper when were at the Last Chance General Store then by process of elimination six days from now is Friday."

He quickly jotted down the information along with the others. Violet was still off working on her invention to get them up the waterfall, leaving the rest of them to sort this out. Sunny had curled up in Klaus' lap to keep warm from the chilly mountain winds; she was confident they were handling this well without her input, no matter how small it would have been. Violet and Klaus had not yet been able to teach her to read as they hadn't had time with everything happening so quickly in their lives, but they were sure she had been learning steadily on her own.

"So something is happening on Friday," Klaus said continuing down his notes, "Any spice-based condiment should have a coded label referring volunteers to encoded poems. Hm, Isadora read off the ingredients on that mustard jar."

She picked it up, "Vinegar, mustard seed, salt, turmeric, the final quatrain of the eleventh stanza of 'The Garden of Proserpine,' by Algernon Charles Swinburne, and calcium disodium, an allegedly natural preservative. A quatrain is four lines of a poem, and a stanza is another word for a verse. So, they hid the poem in the ingredients list because nobody ever reads it. How clever."

"Indeed," Quigley nodded, "But what does the poem say then?"

Klaus frowned, "I've read that one in a poetry book before, but it's not a very cheerful poem." He recited the verse:

 _"That no life lives forever;_

 _That dead men rise up never;_

 _That even the weariest river_

 _Winds somewhere safe to the sea."_

Quigley read through his notes, "I think the message might be referring to a meeting or gathering of some sort happening on Friday. Kit said she needs you to meet her at Briny Beach by the next 3 days, so she's probably intending to take us there. If the Headquarters are in ruins then the only V.F.D. safe place left would be Hotel Denouement. Jacques told me about it. It's this ritzy hotel run by three brothers Frank, Ernest, and the supposedly dead Dewey Denouement."

"Kit mentioned the name Dewey when she was driving us here from Heimlich Hospital," Klaus commented, "She's pregnant and she said, 'Dewey and I are hoping it's a girl.' He must be her husband; which means he's most likely alive."

Isadora smiled, "Then we figured it out. Kit is taking us to the meeting after she finishes whatever she was doing with the sugar bowl."

"The sugar bowl," Quigley asked, "She had it? Jacques mentioned it was very important to find."

"She had it in her hand before she left us on the mountain," Duncan said, "She said it was part of her mission and it was top priority. It had been hidden in Heimlich Hospital, but she got it out as Count Olaf set the building on fire. That's how we met her."

Quigley chuckled as they all stood up, "Wait, you guys actually got Duncan to willingly walk into a hospital? I'm shocked."

Duncan's face flushed with embarrassment, "Shut up, Quigley, you faint whenever somebody pulls out a needle. At least I was brave enough to take one for the team."

"Yeah, and you don't even want to _know_ what happened after he and Violet got taken by Olaf while we were there," Isadora shuddered.

Klaus held Sunny's hand and the five of them returned to where Violet was waiting for them. They explained to her what they had found and she smiled as she started to explain her invention.

"I used the ropes and pocket knives from our backpacks to help out with this. Basically, I'm going to attach these forks and knives to our shoes and we're going to climb the waterfall," Violet started, "We use this broken candelabra to tap the ice and see where it's sturdy enough to pierce without breaking it. The ropes will tie us together by our waists for safety. Sunny will ride in the sling on my back, and we'll all climb up together. Now, everyone give me your shoes."

They did as they were told, and she quickly turned their normal sneakers into silverware-assisted climbing shoes before instructing them to put them back on. She tied several ropes together and around each of their waists; fastening them tightly with a new kind of knot she invented that would hold better than the Devil's Tongue Knot. Klaus helped Sunny back into her sling as the three triplets put on their backpacks and safely tucked their notebooks in their jackets. Violet grabbed the candelabra and made sure they weren't leaving anything behind before leading them over to the slope.

"Alright, Sunny and I will start first. Only follow the spots I say are safe, got it?"

"Got it!"

She nodded and began their daunting ascent. For several hours they climbed, one by one, with only a few ropes holding them together. Sunny held tightly to her sister's shoulders and shut her eyes to keep herself from looking down. Based on the direction of the sunlight since arriving at the Headquarters, it was late afternoon by the time they finally reached the Stricken Stream source. Violet and Sunny climbed to the safe landing first, followed by Klaus, then Isadora, and finally Duncan and Quigley. The six of them breathed a collective sigh of relief when they reached the top.

"We did it," Duncan said, grinning as they untied the ropes and shoved them back into their packs, "That was amazing Violet."

The inventor blushed and gave him a quick kiss, "Thank you, Duncan. I thought it worked pretty well too."

They walked across the snowy area examining the frozen stream source. From the top of Mount Fraught they could see their destination in the water far off in the distance as the sun was beginning to set. The air was getting colder as afternoon turned into evening from their long climb. Violet removed her invention from their shoes, returning them to normal. Klaus took out his spyglass and turned on the flashlight so they could see in the darkening sky. As Quigley had guessed, based on Kit's instructions, right by the source hidden behind some bushes was a boat just big enough to hold all of them.

"Well, it looks like no one is here," Klaus said, "What do we do now? The boat is here, and intact, but Kit said a volunteer would be here."

Violet examined the boat curiously. It looked like a simple row boat, but it had a complex steering mechanism attached to it.

"This is likely to help guide us down the river," She said, "It looks brand new. Anyway, there's a chance that the volunteer just hasn't arrived yet. We can't leave until False Spring, remember? I guess we should just camp out here until then."

"Awesome," Quigley said, "Camping out on a mountain top is something I never thought I'd do."

Isadora smiled gazing out at the sunset, "Same here, and the view is spectacular."

"We should sleep in shifts," Violet said, "That way one of us can watch out if someone comes."

They set down their bags and took out their remaining food to get back their energy. Violet removed the coat sling from her back and set it up in a pile on the ground to turn it into a bed for Sunny. Quigley offered to sleep by her to ensure she wouldn't roll around too much as she slept, given their high altitude. Much to Quigley's disgust, Klaus and Isadora shared a good night kiss before Isadora curled up in her boyfriend's arms for the night. Violet agreed to take the first watch, using Klaus' spyglass, and took a look out position facing the mountain trail in the opposite direction of the frozen stream and the rest of the group. Once the others were asleep, which happened rather quickly due to having been up for most of the previous night, Duncan took a seat beside her.

"You should really get some sleep," She said, "You've been up all night too."

Duncan shrugged, wrapping his arm around her, "I wanted some alone time with you. Is that so wrong?"

She smiled and relaxed into his arms, "I guess not... But you're not allowed to be cranky tomorrow from not getting enough sleep."

He chuckled, "I make no promises."

She gazed up at her charming boyfriend with a smile before kissing him. He pulled her close and happily deepened the kiss. The two didn't even feel the freezing cold air as they found plenty of warmth in each other's arms. They hadn't had a minute alone together since making their relationship official, and they both had the same idea to use their limited alone time wisely. Besides, it wasn't like they weren't aware of their surroundings. With the exception of their siblings' heavy breathing as they slept, there wasn't a sound on the mountain, meaning if something made a noise they would notice immediately. But for now, all that mattered was that a beautiful inventor and a handsome journalist had a short amount of time to spend alone in each other's embrace. They finally pulled away from their intimate kiss and smiled at each other, their foreheads touching.

"That was worth staying up for," Duncan whispered.

Violet chuckled, "I have to agree with you there."

He suddenly frowned a bit, "Uh... about what Quigley said when he met you..."

She put a finger to his lips, "I'm a faithful woman. Besides your brother is too narcissistic for my tastes. I chose _you_ didn't I, and you're the one I'm staying with. I believe I said together to the end, right?"

He blushed, smiling at her once more, though it was hard to see in the moonlight, "You did say that. I'm sorry I just got a little worried that's all. It'd tear me apart if I lost you so soon after finding you. And I don't mean us being together, I mean after just meeting you. Violet, you're the best thing that's happened to me since I lost my parents. And I've never felt this strongly about anyone before."

"And you're the best thing that's happened to me since I lost my parents. I feel the same way. We've been through a lot since we met, haven't we?"

"Yeah we climbed a mountain today; I never thought I'd do that in my life. I especially never thought I'd do it with a girl as wonderful as you leading the way," He pulled her closer, his eyes never leaving hers; "I love you, Violet."

She kissed him once more before responding, "I love you too, Duncan. You should go to sleep, I have to keep watch."

He smiled, and kissed her forehead before moving to lie down beside her, "Good night, love, wake me up when it's my turn ok?"

"I will, honey," She smiled warmly at him, "Good night."

 **~End of Chapter**


	12. Traversing the Stream

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

"Everyone, wake up," Klaus demanded, as he watched the trail through the spyglass, "Someone's coming!"

The sun was just peaking over the mountains, as Klaus had taken the last look out of the night. Violet rose quickly from her spot where she had slept in Duncan's arms, and grabbed the spyglass from her brother's hand. Sure enough, coming up the mountain trail was a motorcycle that appeared to be in a hurry. The driver was wearing a helmet so they couldn't see their face. The others got up, grabbed their bags, and they huddled together to figure out a plan.

"We left our masks at the bottom of the mountain," Isadora said, worriedly.

"Damn it," Violet cursed, "I knew we might forget something."

"Relax guys, we'll hide our faces with our coats and I'll ask them the code phrases," Quigley said.

"And if they don't respond correctly," Klaus asked.

"Bite," Sunny suggested, most likely meaning she would bite the trespasser if necessary.

"Sure, let's go with that," Violet said, "Unless someone else has a better suggestion."

Nobody said anything, and the six of them waited with their coats covering their faces. Sunny hid behind her siblings' legs as the motorcycle reached them. Quigley pulled out his spyglass and pointed it at their visitor. The driver, who appeared to be female, got off the vehicle and pointed a spyglass at them as well.

"I'm sorry for the delay," The woman said through her helmet, "I haven't had a Very Fun Day."

Quigley lowered his spyglass, "I didn't realize this was a sad occasion."

She took off her helmet before responding, "It is a sad occasion indeed, children."

"Jacqueline," The children removed their coats and she walked up to them.

"It's good to see you made it here in one piece," Jacqueline said, "I've been driving all night trying to find you. When I saw the Headquarters in ruins I panicked. But when I saw the masks down there I knew you were close. I saw you up here with my spyglass."

"You're the one Kit sent to meet us," Violet asked.

"I am, and you have 2 days left," Jacqueline looked down solemnly, "But I have some bad news. I met Olivia at Caligari Carnival before I left on my way up here. She wanted me to tell you that she is happy that the Baudelaires and the Quagmires are together again... and she was honored to have been able to protect you."

The children felt their hearts drop into their stomachs.

"What happened," Duncan asked; his voice cracking.

Jacqueline took a deep breath, "Olaf took a rather strong liking to Madame Lulu. Esmé got jealous, _very_ jealous... Olivia was murdered yesterday... There was nothing I could do. Esmé pushed her into a pit of starving lions."

"You mean the Volunteer Feline Detectives," Quigley asked, his eyes widening with shock.

The secretary/volunteer nodded without responding. Though Quigley had not met Olivia Caliban he could tell by the deeply saddened looks on the others' faces that she had been someone worth caring for.

"She was the only adult at Prufrock who was nice to us," Isadora said, blinking back tears as Klaus pulled her into a comforting hug.

The group took a moment of silence as they mourned their loss. Duncan hugged Violet as they both wiped away a few tears that escaped their eyes. Klaus and Isadora picked up Sunny in a tight hug as she wept softly. The Baudelaires remembered how Esmé had shoved them down the ersatz elevator shaft outside her penthouse apartment to openly reveal her cruel nature. Perhaps Esmé had done a similar false loyalty tactic to her most recent victim.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't do something, children. She was truly a brave and noble person," Jacqueline said, "And she will be missed, but at least she and Jacques are together again. Olivia was proud to fight for our cause, and even more proud to fight for _you_. She was a true volunteer."

"What do we do now," Klaus asked as he held Sunny close to him.

"Continue with the plan. Olaf found the messages from Olivia to Kit and he knows where you're intending to go. He burned down the carnival and he's on his way to the Headquarters to burn it down too; thinking that's where you are now. I don't know who really destroyed it, but he's going to be disappointed when he finds out he missed his chance. You have to leave ahead of schedule. Is the boat ready like we planned?"

Violet led her over to the boat, "It's ready, but with the river frozen we can't leave until False Spring and that's in 2 days."

Jacqueline held up her spyglass, "I can help with that. Everyone help me get the boat on the water and then get in."

They did as commanded, securing their supplies with them. Klaus tucked Sunny safely in his lap as he got in beside Isadora and the couple held each other tightly. Duncan and Quigley sat beside each other in front of their sister and behind Violet as she took the steering mechanism to "drive." Violet handed Quigley their map and instructed him to help navigate their way down the river. Jacqueline then opened her spyglass, after setting it to the fire function, and pointed it down at the stream source. The ice beneath them started to melt.

Jacqueline looked at them as her tool did its work, "The fire function is for emergencies. In case you didn't know."

"We know," Isadora said, "And thank you for helping us."

"You're welcome. Think of it as my way of apologizing for everything Mr. Poe put you through. If he hadn't listened to that consultant, none of this would have happened."

"You don't have to apologize," Violet noted, "It wasn't your fault that you got tied to that tree."

Jacqueline smiled and blinked in surprise as she finally noticed how many of them there were, "I thought there were only two Quagmires?"

The boat began to move slowly as the stream melted. The Quagmires smiled at her with pride as they responded in unison the words they had said so often to so many others.

"We're triplets."

"I was told only two survived."

"I escaped," Quigley said with a grin, "Jacques looked after me while I was in hiding."

Jacqueline smiled once again; the boat started moving further towards the waterfall's edge as she replied, "I'm glad to hear that, Olivia would have been happy to know you Quigley! The Queequeg should be in position by the time you reach the sea! Don't worry it'll find you! And watch out for Captain Widdershins; he's a good man, but he's a bit eccentric! Good luck, volunteers!"

They nodded to her as she turned off her spyglass and saluted them before they turned their attention back to the waterfall they were about to go over.

"Alright everyone," Violet shouted over the sound of the water now rushing rapidly, "Hang on tight!"

Jacqueline watched with a certain amount of pride as the boat disappeared over the waterfall. She got back onto her motorcycle and took a communicator out of her pocket.

She turned it on, "You watching this, Larry?"

"Yep the helicopter is in position," Larry replied over the communicator, "They were moving alarmingly fast, but they correctly took the left path. Now I'd feel a lot better about this if you would get off that mountain before Olaf gets there."

"Why Larry if I didn't know any better I'd say you cared," Jacqueline replied, sweetly.

There was a pause before she heard the waiter respond, "We've lost too many people already, Miss Scieszka. I'd be devastated if one of those people was you."

"We haven't lost everyone. Did you know that Jacques kept the third Quagmire triplet alive all this time?"

"What?! Quigley's alive? You mean they're... together again?"

"Yes they are; I just met him before they left. And I couldn't help noticing that the Baudelaire and Quagmire lines are looking like they'll finally merge in the future. Duncan and Violet are together, so are Klaus and Isadora."

"That's wonderful news," Larry replied, "I remember Karen and Beatrice were ecstatic about the idea of their children marrying someday."

"We all were, Larry. Their parents would be thrilled if they could be here to see it. Have to make sure they invite us to those weddings. Call me once they've boarded the submarine. Jacqueline out."

"Just keep going," Quigley shouted over the rushing water, "We're on the correct path so we'll make it there in no time!"

"This is insane," Duncan shouted.

"For once, I actually agree with you," Quigley replied with a smile.

"You alright there, Sunny," Isadora asked looking down at the small girl.

"Fine," Sunny shouted, clinging tightly to her brother as the boat raced down the stream.

"Izzie, if we don't make it out of this-" Klaus was interrupted by Isadora putting a hand to his mouth.

"Whatever you were about to say, you can tell me later, sweetheart," The poet smiled.

"Yeah you two save the flirting for when we're safe," Violet commented as she kept her focus on steering their boat.

"I'm considering never swimming again after this," Quigley joked, "Who's with me?"

Duncan and Isadora grinned, "Damn we missed your stupid jokes Quigley!"

They rode down the river getting further and further towards their goal. Though they were saddened to hear of Olivia's tragic fate, they felt her spirit in their hearts as they rushed down the raging waters. The Baudelaires and the Quagmire triplets were together and safe thanks to her. The kind librarian had not died in vain. She died while protecting her friends, and they would be forever grateful to her for that.

The boat finally reached the open waters of the sea as the sun reached its early morning peak in the sky. Violet slowed the boat as the Stricken Stream pushed them out further with a final splash. The weather was much warmer now, and they all did as Kit recommended and removed their now soaking wet oversized coats, leaving them in a pile in the back of the boat. Quigley removed his light blue jacket to let it dry, revealing a black t-shirt underneath, and shoved his notebook in his backpack.

"We did it," Quigley said, "We just rode down a mountain waterfall into the ocean with nothing but a boat, and we survived!"

The six of them shared a tight group hug to celebrate. As they did a large object rose from out of the water below them, tossing the boat aside slightly. It was a submarine, the very same one they were meant to meet; on the hatch at the top was the word Queequeg in gold letters. It sat still in the water as it seemed to be waiting for them to board. From their position they could see the periscope had been pointed at the direction they had just come from, indicating it was expecting their arrival. The children carefully climbed onto the waiting vessel one by one until they were all situated safely on top. Violet opened the hatch and they all climbed inside to continue to the next phase of their mission.

 **~End of Chapter**

 **Yes, I know I should have let Olivia live, and I wanted to, but then I figured it made more sense from a narrative standpoint to get Olaf back on track to chasing them. I couldn't do that with Olivia being alive, and I apologize for that. She was a true volunteer, and we all miss her dearly! I'm glad the TV show cast her character in a more favorable light than the book!**


	13. Welcome Aboard the Queequeg

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

The six of them climbed down the ladder that led them into the submarine. On the wall they could see another set of the gold letters that spelled out the ship's name as they stood at the ladder's base unsure of what to do or where to go now. They were in a narrow hallway with a dim bulb as the only source of light. At the end of the hall was a closed door.

"Wasn't somebody going to meet us," Violet asked as she picked up Sunny.

"This place is kind of big, perhaps they're just not here yet," Klaus replied as the six of them looked around curiously.

Suddenly, the door opened and a middle-aged man in a sailor captain's uniform stepped into the hall pointing a spyglass at them. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously before he spoke.

"When ye drive away in secret you'll be a volunteer-" He left the poem hanging as an invitation to gain their trust.

Isadora finished it for him, "So don't scream when we take you, the world is quiet here."

The man grinned and lowered his spyglass, "Aye! The Baudelaires and the Quagmires at last! It's been ages since I've seen any of you!"

He beckoned them to follow him deeper into his ship. They walked through the halls of the submarine until they reached an open area that appeared to be the main deck. There was a massive window that showed the bright ocean waters that was situated over a large control panel that was meant for driving the submersible. To the side were a couple couches, and a table with many chairs. On the control console, with a chair in front of it, were several maps and an ocean guidebook, which Quigley's eyes were immediately drawn to. On the wall was a calendar, next to some detailed sea charts. The man was still grinning as he turned to them once more.

"I'm Captain Widdershins, and welcome aboard the Queequeg! I can't tell you how happy I am to see you kids!"

"It's very nice to meet you, Captain," Violet said shaking his hand, "Kit said you were going to help us."

"Aye, and help you I will, Violet. Yes I know your names. I haven't seen you since you were a little girl. Just as lovely as you mum too; you look just like her. Oh, let's see the last time I saw Bertrand and Beatrice was oh, just after Klaus was born I think. About 13 years ago, right?"

"That's right, sir," Klaus said politely shaking the man's hand.

"Aye, it's good to see you so grown up, son. You've probably heard this a million times, but you're the spitting image of Bertrand! Right down to the glasses; except the eyes of course."

Klaus blushed a bit, "Yeah my mother's eyes; I get that a lot."

"And it's good to meet you for the first time little Sunny," The captain said, shaking her small hand, "I didn't know they had another baby until just recently."

"Hello," Sunny said, which meant, "I'm happy to meet your acquaintance."

"She's still learning to talk," Violet said as she set her sister down on a chair.

Captain Widdershins waved his hand dismissively, "Aye that's alright, she'll get there eventually given how big she's gotten."

He went to shake the Quagmires' hands, "The Quagmire triplets, I never thought I'd see you again. And together no less! I was there when you were born. Hell, when Karen told her husband they were having triplets the poor bastard fainted right into Bertrand's arms! Everybody was there; we all saw it. And Karen, tough as nails that woman was, the only time I ever saw her cry was when she had you three. Quinten said he was head over heels for her the second he watched her walk out of a blazing building with a smile on her face after she saved a bunch of civilians. He leaned over to Bertrand Baudelaire and he said, 'I'm gonna marry that woman someday.' Now let's see if I can get your names right."

He pointed to each of them carefully, "Duncan, Quigley, and Isadora, have I got it right or did I mix you up?"

Duncan laughed, "You got it right, sir."

"It's easier to tell now," Isadora said.

"Don't feel bad," Quigley smirked, "Our own father couldn't tell us apart until we were five; had to keep us from wearing the same colored clothes just to be safe."

"Aye I knew your families well," The captain looked down solemnly for a moment, "Broke my heart to see them gone. They were good people. But we mustn't dwell on the past, time moves forward whether we like it or not. Feel free to explore and look around. The Queequeg is your home until we reach our Vigorously Fixed Destination."

The children set their bags down, took off their jackets, and walked around the room examining their surroundings curiously as Captain Widdershins went to the helm and started the ship. Quigley looked over the maps on the console with intrigue, he was used to land maps and these attracted his cartographer instincts. Klaus and Isadora took a seat on one of the couches, the researcher relaxing as he put his arm around the poet with a smile. Duncan stood with Violet as she watched the captain use the control console.

"Um, Captain Widdershins," Violet started, "Are you the only person operating this vessel? I'm rather good with mechanical engineering and I couldn't help noticing your ship is a bit... out of shape."

The captain smiled, "Not to worry, Violet. Bertrand said the same thing once. This ship is older than me if you believe it. And no I'm not the only one. There are only two other people on here, our cook Phil he's down in the kitchen, and my navigator and chief engineer Fiona."

He looked around suddenly, noticing the previously mentioned person wasn't present, "God damn, where has that girl gone?"

He picked up a radio looking device and called into it, "Fiona?"

There was a brief pause before a female voice replied, "Yes stepfather?"

"Get on up here girl! We don't want to be hesitating now! The Baudelaires and the Quagmire triplets are here and' they want to meet you! He who hesitates is lost."

There was a laugh over the communicator before the girl responded with, "Or she, stepfather! I'll be right up."

He put down the communicator, "Fiona is my navigator and she's my stepdaughter. Smart as a whip, but she tends to wander sometimes; just turned 16 earlier this year."

They heard the sound of someone running up a set of stairs and a young slightly darker skinned girl entered the room. She had shoulder-length raven hair and light blue eyes. She wore a white lab coat over a dark blue blouse and a black knee-length skirt. She wore black-rimmed triangle-shaped glasses. She smiled brightly, and walked over to introduce herself.

"Hello, I'm Fiona," She shook Violet's hand, "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Same here, I'm Violet. This is my boyfriend Duncan," The inventor gestured to the journalist as Fiona shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you," Duncan said.

Fiona shook Sunny's hand as the small girl introduced herself in her undeveloped English. Which Fiona seemed to understand somehow. She turned to Klaus and Isadora.

"I'm Isadora Quagmire, this is my boyfriend Klaus."

"So good to meet all of you," Fiona said, "I've heard a lot about your families from my stepfather."

Klaus nodded, "Your stepfather said you were the ship's engineer, but you're wearing a lab coat. Any particular reason why?"

"I do a lot on this ship, engineer and navigator are my jobs, but personally I'm a scientist. I was just working on an experiment in my lab downstairs," Fiona waved her hand dismissively, and turned to see Quigley still reading the maps, "Whoa, hey those are mine. I'd appreciate it if you asked permission first."

She walked over to him and took the map out of his hands setting it back on the console. Quigley stared at her for a few moments before smirking.

"I'm sorry I will most definitely ask for permission next time," The cartographer said, "I don't believe we've been introduced. Quigley Quagmire."

He held his hand out for a handshake, his smirk not fading as she smiled and shook his hand.

"I'm Fiona Widdershins; it's nice to meet you."

Quigley's smirk grew as he replied, "It's always nice to meet someone as beautiful as you," He leaned down and kissed the back of her hand.

Duncan and Isadora rolled their eyes at their brother's behavior. Violet and Klaus raised a brow in mild amusement. Fiona's eyes widened at the gesture and her face instantly turned cherry red.

"Oh... I... um, thank you for the compliment."

"You're welcome," Quigley replied, his eyes softening at her.

"He certainly got over Violet fast," Klaus commented softly to Isadora.

"That's just how Quigley is. He has a weakness for pretty girls."

Isadora walked over to them and grabbed her brother's arm, "Quigley, wipe that drool off your chin. You just met the poor girl! I'm terribly sorry if my brother upset you at all. He's an idiot."

Fiona started fussing with the hem of her skirt and smiled shyly, her cheeks still very red, "Oh, it's quite alright Isadora, I don't mind. I, ahem, don't usually meet men so bold."

Captain Widdershins took this moment to call their attention. Everyone sat down around the table as he began to speak.

"Kit told me over the phone that the six of you are headed for Briny Beach, correct?"

The Baudelaires looked down slightly, remembering why they were apprehensive about returning to that place, before Violet replied, "That's right, sir."

"Briny Beach," Fiona looked her maps over, "That's going to take at least 2 days. You're lucky you got here on time."

"Aye that they are! No hesitating on my ship now. Around we have a mantra, 'he who hesitates is lost.'"

"Or she, stepfather," Fiona corrected, "A mantra is a phrase or code that one lives by to guide them through life. My stepfather believes that if you hesitate you'll get lost and I was raised by those words."

"We know what mantra means," Klaus said, "I've heard the saying before, but I've never met someone who lived by it."

Quigley spoke up from his seat next to Fiona, "Personally, I believe that well-read people are less likely to be evil. That's my mantra."

Fiona smiled at him, "I agree with that sentiment."

"Quigley, you've never said mantra before in your life," Duncan said.

Quigley rolled his eyes, "Does that matter?"

"Anyway, as I was saying, we'll get you where you need to go. In the meantime, the Queequeg is your home as much as it is ours. Violet, Isadora, and Sunny will sleep in Fiona's room and Duncan, Klaus, and Quigley can sleep in the spare room across the hall. We might have a small crew but we've got plenty of room," Captain Widdershins explained, seemingly oblivious to the conversation, "Are there any questions, comments, concerns?"

"If it's alright with you, Captain," Violet spoke up, "I'd be more than happy to help with any mechanical issues the ship might face."

Captain Widdershins grinned, "I'd be honored to let you help out! I'd heard you inherited Bertrand's talent for fixing things."

"And I'd be more than happy to have the help," Fiona noted, "Everyone grab your things. I'll show them where they'll be staying, stepfather."

"Good girl. I'll get back to driving the ship. Phil should have lunch ready around noon."

Quigley walked beside Fiona as she led them out of the main deck and down to the sleeping quarters. The cartographer hadn't taken his eyes off the new girl since he saw her. Duncan and Isadora smirked as they watched their brother continue to make pleasant conversation with her. They had apparently seen him do this a lot. It wasn't hard to tell when Quigley Quagmire was interested in a girl. Duncan was a lot more shy about girls; despite his happy relationship with Violet it had still taken a lot to get him to admit his feelings for her. Violet knew that Klaus was always shy about girls as they were the one thing he could never figure out using his reading skills, but he and Isadora had found each other and were very happy together. It had taken some coaxing to get the two to admit it though.

Fiona stopped between two doors that were across from each other. She opened the one on the right and told the other girls to leave their things inside while the boys dropped off their stuff in the opposite room. Once finished, Violet walked off to examine the ship's engine, with Duncan wanting to join her. Klaus and Isadora left to explore the ship, and Sunny wanted to check out the kitchen, possibly to help make lunch. This left Quigley and Fiona alone. The cartographer felt himself redden slightly. It had been a while since he had been alone with a girl he was interested in. Spending so long in hiding had been the cause of that. Fiona was quite a pretty girl, and she was very nice. He was eager to get to know her better while they spent such a short time here.

"So, what kind of scientist are you," Quigley asked.

"You're gonna think it's gross."

"Try me."

"I'm a mycologist."

Quigley paused, "I'm not familiar with that word."

"I study fungi," Fiona explained, "It's ok you're allowed to be grossed out."

"Well, I suppose there are weirder things to study," Quigley replied, casually.

Fiona looked surprised at him, "You're not freaked out? Usually everyone is."

Quigley smiled, "If it's what you're passionate about then who cares what everyone else thinks?"

Fiona smiled and blushed, "I suppose you're right. Thank you. What are passionate about?"

"I'm a cartographer, that's why I was so interested in your maps."

"That's fascinating, I should have guessed. Hey, do you want to come see my lab?"

Quigley grinned, "I'd love to, Miss Fiona."

She grabbed his hand leading him down the opposite hall. She turned a corner and opened a door, which had a caution sign on it, and pulled him in. Inside the room was a large cabinet built into the wall filled with what appeared to be spore samples for her work. In the back of the room was a table filled with chemistry equipment, tools, a desk lamp, and several pairs of protective gloves along with a few sets of goggles to protect one's eyes, and a surgical mask. On the side wall that wasn't occupied by the sample cabinet was a small bookshelf filled with plenty of books. There was a window above the shelf that let in the sunlight streaming through the ocean surface.

"It's not much, but I make do with what I have," Fiona said, sitting in a chair by her table.

Quigley sat down beside her, "It's nice. Is this your library?"

"Yep, they're mostly science books. You're welcome to read any of them if you're ever interested."

He smiled, "I might do that if I get bored."

The two stared at each other without talking for several moments. Fiona blushed and broke the eye contact first. Quigley blushed as well, running his hand through his messy black hair. She turned to her cabinet.

"You're welcome to come down here whenever you like, but be warned my sample cabinet is off limits. Fungi can be very dangerous if they're not handled properly. And I wouldn't want you or the others to get hurt."

"So, you like to live dangerously," Quigley joked.

She giggled, "I suppose that's one way of putting it. I am a trained professional."

He felt a bit of satisfaction from making her laugh. He had never felt this way about a girl before. Quigley was used to being suave and cool around girls, but Fiona was different. With her, he felt nervous; even a bit shy. He inwardly wondered if this was how Duncan felt around Violet when they first met. He couldn't dare let his brother know how timid he had suddenly become just because of a lovely girl with triangle-shaped glasses and a beautiful smile. He'd be mocked and teased to the end of the century.

Isadora couldn't ignore a nagging thought in the back of her head as she and Klaus explored the submarine. It wasn't a pleasant thought. It wasn't even one she felt she should be considering. But she had to voice it. There was no other way around the subject. She wanted an answer to a simple question. She and Klaus found a secluded hallway and she proceeded to grab his hand to get his attention.

"Klaus, can we talk for a minute?"

"Sure, what's up?"

Isadora bit her lip nervously as she tried to find a way to phrase her question, "What do you think of Fiona?"

Klaus raised a brow at her in confusion, "She seems nice enough. I mean we did just meet her so I can't really say anything else about her."

She avoided his gaze and started fidgeting a bit with her fingers, "Do you think... she's pretty?"

The researcher blinked in surprise. The question caught him completely off guard. He smirked a little.

"Eh, Quigley certainly seems to think so," His smirk grew as he observed her behavior and realized exactly what she meant, "You're not jealous, are you, Izzie?"

Isadora blushed, "No! And you wipe that cocky smirk off your face before I do it for you!"

Klaus chuckled, "You're a terrible liar."

Her face reddened even more as she frowned, "I'm sorry. I trust you completely, it's just that I have this weird sense that maybe you should be with someone like her..."

Klaus hated seeing Isadora upset. Especially if she was upset over something as silly as this. He grabbed her hand and pulled her close lifting her chin up to look her in the eye.

He smiled lovingly at her, "Remember when I wanted to say something to you while we were on the boat? Well here it is: Isadora you bring light into my life, and I hope someday _you_ will be my wife."

He kissed her, and this wasn't like their previous kisses as a couple. No, this one was far more intimate. Isadora felt herself melt into his kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck. In a bold move, which he absolutely did not learn from a romance novel, he gently pressed her back against the wall, causing her to pull him as close as she could. He licked her lips, asking for entrance which she shyly gave; their tongues meeting for the first time. Any previous doubts and worries she had were gone. Klaus had never kissed her like _this_ before, and she liked it a lot. She inwardly prayed that she would get more of these heated kisses from her lovable bookworm in the future. Unfortunately, the need for oxygen forced them pull apart. His glasses were foggy and a bit crooked, his cheeks were red, and his messy dark hair was now even more mussed from her running her hands through it. Her own face had turned scarlet, and her knees felt weak, as she took a few heavy breaths.

"I love you, Isadora," He said softly, his eyes locked with hers, "I hope that couplet was enough to put your mind at ease."

"I love you too, Klaus," She breathed, he had successfully short-circuited her brain, "And I really liked that couplet. I... Where on earth did you learn to kiss like that?"

He adjusted his glasses with a sly smirk, "Why? Did you like it?"

She grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer once more with a seductive grin, "Yes, now do it again."

He chuckled, "As you wish."

He crashed his lips into hers once more. The researcher and the poet had planned to use their alone time wisely. This was the perfect way to do it. And this time nobody was around to interrupt them.

 **~End of Chapter**

 **I don't care how OOC that last bit was. I just couldn't resist the opportunity. Don't worry, they were just kissing, I promise. (OOC means out of character by the way.)**

 **Hope you caught the book references I slipped into this chapter; there are 2 so keep an eye open for them!**


	14. Violet's Birthday

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

The Baudelaires certainly hadn't expected Phil to be the same man they had known at the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill when they were introduced to him at lunchtime. Sunny had graciously helped prepare their food, showing off her promising culinary skills. They spent most of the meal telling the others their stories. Quigley had been eager to know what his siblings had been doing since they were separated. And Fiona was curious as to how the others had ended up where they were now.

"Wait, you were hypnotized? That can't be possible," Fiona said.

"It's true," Klaus insisted, "Phil was too. Dr. Orwell used hypnotism to get her patients to do her evil bidding. She had the whole lumber mill under her spell. It was terrifying, and it helped me understand why my father always said to never trust an optometrist."

"It's insane," Isadora said holding Klaus' hand.

"Yeah, the worst part is she could have forced me to hurt my sisters if she wanted to..."

"Aye, I remember Georgina," Captain Widdershins said, his eyes darkening a bit as he drank his brandy, "Foul old bitch that one. Got her medical license revoked the second we discovered her cruel intentions. She had a habit of hypnotizing men to take to the annual V.F.D. masquerade balls at the Headquarters. Gustav Sebald was one of her unlucky victims once I recall. He was Dr. Montgomery's assistant."

"We know," Violet said, "We never met him though when we lived with Uncle Monty. He said he resigned before we moved there."

Captain Widdershins shook his head, "Aye, no. Olaf murdered him. One of the volunteers found his body in a pond outside Monty's house. Autopsy said it was a poison dart that did him in."

"Did you know him well," Duncan asked.

"Not particularly. He was friends with Jacqueline though. They did a lot of coded film work together. Passing secret messages to other volunteers through films; it's crazy work but someone has to do it."

"You guys have certainly been through a lot. I can't imagine how you must have felt in that terrible hospital," Fiona shuddered, "Was he really gonna make you kill your own siblings?"

Isadora nodded, "Yes, Olaf's cruelty truly knows no limits. I'd never been so scared in my life."

Duncan patted his sister's hand comfortingly. Quigley then explained his survival story as the crew had been told to only expect two of the triplets.

"That's incredible that you were so dedicated to finding your siblings," Fiona smiled at Quigley, "I wish my brother was like you..."

"You have a brother," Quigley asked.

The mycologist nodded, her smile fading a bit, "He's about a decade older than me and he lives on land. I haven't seen or spoken to him in years."

"And let's hope it stays that way," Captain Widdershins added, "That good for nothing boy wasn't worth living on my ship."

Fiona gave her stepfather a rather stern look, "Stepfather, I would appreciate it if you would not speak of Fernald like that. Just because the two of you didn't get along doesn't mean you have the right to say such things in front of me."

Her stepfather took a final drink of his brandy and shrugged as he got up from the table, "You'll get over it. I loved my dear wife, God rest her soul I miss her, but that son of hers was a fool. And he sure was no son of mine. You can get back to work once you're done everyone. He, or she, who hesitates is lost!"

He and Phil left the room; Fiona looked down at the table avoiding the others' gaze at her stepfather's harsh words. This was a conversation she appeared to be used to. The Baudelaires and the Quagmires shared knowing glances with each other. Their new friend didn't deserve to be talked to like this. Quigley felt especially bad for her. He had spent the last year hoping to find his brother and sister, and he couldn't imagine going through life any longer without the two of them. Yet here was a perfectly nice girl who missed her lost brother dearly, but her stepfather seemed unwilling to care. He gave her a sympathetic look and grabbed her hand.

"I'm sure your brother misses you too," Quigley said.

"Do you really think that? What if he forgot all about me?"

"A good brother will love you no matter what," Violet said, "Those are the words our parents taught us."

Klaus smiled at the comment, and Sunny voiced her agreement.

"It's true," Isadora added, "Duncan and Quigley might be idiots sometimes, but they're still my brothers and I'll always love them."

The two Quagmire boys grinned in response. Fiona smiled at all of them.

"Thank you," She said, "I've never met people like you guys. I've lived on this sub almost all my life and the only times I get to meet people is when we surface for supplies."

"Must be tough living in a submarine for so long," Duncan said.

Fiona shrugged, "It's not so bad really, unless you're claustrophobic or something, and I'm not. Besides you get the best view down here."

She stood and walked over to the window staring out at the colorful array of fish swimming peacefully around in the bright ocean waters. The midday sunlight illuminating the whole area as the submarine moved steadily towards their goal. Quigley stood and walked over to join her. He didn't even notice that the others had taken a silent hint that perhaps they should leave the cartographer and the mycologist alone once more. Duncan and Violet walked off together, the journalist wishing to help the inventor with the various repairs that the Captain had assigned to her. Klaus and Isadora wished to find some reading material to occupy their time. Though Duncan and Quigley couldn't ignore the dazed looks on the couple's faces when they came to the kitchen for lunch; the two boys chose not to ask what their sister had been up to earlier as they were very afraid of the answer.

Fiona glanced at Quigley as she noticed him beside her, "You can't get a view like this on a mountain top. Lovely, isn't it?"

"Very lovely indeed," Quigley said smiling, but he was not looking out at the view, he was looking to his side at Fiona.

She gazed curiously at him, "But you're not looking at... oh..."

She blushed deeply in realization and averted her eyes. His own face reddened as well as he stared at her.

"Ahem, I should, uh go help Violet and Duncan with the repairs."

He blinked snapping out of his trance and replied, "Hm, yeah you go do that. Listen would you mind if I help your stepfather navigate? I don't want to take your job away from you; I just figured it might help you out a bit that's all."

She smiled, "I don't mind at all, Quigley. Thank you for offering. Just don't mess up my stuff, ok?"

"Of course, Miss Fiona, I'll make sure not to break anything. Besides, Violet and Duncan are probably making out rather than getting any work done so you definitely need to keep an eye on them."

Fiona laughed, "I'll make sure they behave."

"Fiona, could you hand me that wrench?"

"This one," She replied grabbing a tool from her toolbox.

Violet examined it for a moment, "Yep, thanks."

Duncan stood off to the side as the two girls worked. He was writing observations of his surroundings in his notebook to occupy his time.

Fiona sighed, "You know you two are lucky you found each other in this crazy world. I've never even had a boyfriend."

"Quigley's taken a pretty big interest in you," Violet smirked as she continued working.

Fiona blushed, "I'm sure he's just being polite..."

Duncan laughed, "Are you kidding? I've never seen my brother this interested in a girl before. I've seen dogs drool less over a rib-eye steak!"

Violet nodded, "I agree, he's obviously into you. Though I'm surprised he hasn't made a move yet. Duncan said Quigley is usually very straightforward when it comes to girls."

"He usually is. Look, Fiona, I'm a journalist and I'm pretty good at reading people, and I can tell you right now: Quigley likes you, a lot."

The mycologist smiled shyly her face turning even redder, "He is rather charming. I just can't help feeling a bit jealous of you Violet. You're only 14 and you already have a great boyfriend who worships the ground you walk on."

Violet blushed, "15 actually."

"Wait, what," Duncan asked.

"I noticed what day it was when we were on the deck. April 8th, it's my birthday so I'm 15 today."

"You mean it's your birthday and you didn't tell anyone," Fiona asked, staring curiously at her and adjusting her glasses.

Violet shrugged, "I didn't want to make a big deal out of it."

Duncan gaped at her, "Excuse me? Did you think that maybe your siblings would care? Or your best friend Isadora? Or perhaps me; it's your first birthday with us as a couple and you kept it a secret?"

"Sorry, honey, I just didn't think it was that much of an issue."

Duncan sat down beside her and grabbed her shoulder, "Listen, love, I don't care if you don't think it's important, but I do and so will the others. It's your birthday and after everything we've been through so far you deserve to celebrate."

"Violet, why don't you let me take over the repairs? After all you are our guest and I'm sure you'd much rather spend your birthday with Duncan."

"Are you sure, Fiona? The captain might be a little upset if I take a break since he's expecting me to help with all this."

Fiona waved her hand dismissively, "I'll handle my stepfather. He may be stubborn, but I can get him to calm down. You two go and enjoy yourselves, and happy birthday."

She took the wrench from Violet's hand and crouched down to fix the pipes they had been working on. Duncan grabbed Violet's hand and pulled her along with him out of the room. Violet removed her ribbon from her hair and shoved it back into her pocket as she followed her boyfriend. He led her to an empty hallway before pulling her close with a loving smile.

"I don't exactly have a present to give you, but at least we can have a minute alone."

She smiled, "Well, I certainly can't object to that."

The journalist crashed his lips into hers in a very heated kiss, much like the one they had shared on Mount Fraught. Violet suddenly regretted her decision to keep her birthday secret if it meant she would receive such a passionate kiss from the boy she loved. She'd never take her birthday for granted again.

That night after dinner everyone celebrated with a special cake Sunny and Phil baked for the occasion. Captain Widdershins told them more stories of their parents and how proud they would have been to see this day. As the Queequeg reached further and further towards its goal the Baudelaires and the Quagmire triplets enjoyed the peacefulness of their temporary home. As the evening drew into night, the captain ordered them to get some rest and most everyone did as they were told. Quigley was about to join Duncan and Klaus in their shared room but stopped when he noticed Fiona picking up the dirty dishes that lined the kitchen table. He watched her for a moment before Duncan grabbed his shoulder to get his attention.

"You know, you could offer to help her," The journalist whispered with a smirk, "Unless world-renowned ladies' man Quigley Quagmire is finally losing his touch."

"Shut up, Duncan," Quigley retorted quietly, blushing a bit, "I'll join you guys after I help her out."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do, little brother."

Duncan returned to the sleeping quarters with the others as Quigley gathered his courage and walked over to Fiona.

"Here, you look like you need some help," He said grabbing some of the plates from her arms.

"Oh, thank you," She replied with a smile, "We're not used to having so many dishes pile up and I was just going to wash them before bed."

"I'll help you."

The two went into the kitchen and set to work. Not many words were exchanged between the two teens as they did their chore, causing a comfortable silence. The only noise they heard was the soft hum of the submarine's engine. Quigley watched her out of the corner of his eye with a smile. Fiona would glance over at him every now and then as well, a shy smile gracing her lips. Upon finishing their task they walked back to the sleeping quarters together and stopped in between the two closed doors.

"Thank you for helping, Quigley."

He smiled and scratched his head nervously, "You're welcome, Miss Fiona. If there's ever anything else I can help you with feel free to ask."

"Well there is one thing, could you stop calling me 'Miss Fiona,' please? It's kind of embarrassing..."

"Oh, sorry; you didn't say anything about it when I started doing it so I figured it was alright," He blushed, "I didn't mean to embarrass you."

"It doesn't bother me that much. I just don't understand why you kept addressing me so formally."

His eyes softened at her, "I just thought it felt right. You're a special lady and I wanted to show you respect."

She smiled and adjusted her glasses, "You respect me? What do you mean by that?"

"Um... I mean I respect you as a person," He answered, "I think you're a very lovely girl and you deserve a level of respect that I don't normally give to others."

"That's awfully kind of you."

They stood quietly looking at each other for a few moments as Fiona processed his answer. She thought back to what Violet and Duncan had told her earlier and felt her heart race. This charming boy liked her; perhaps this was his way of telling her. She remembered her mantra, "he or she who hesitates is lost." And with such a short time to spend with this boy, Fiona definitely didn't want to hesitate before she would have to say good-bye to him. She felt a bit of courage fill her as she grabbed his hand, and gave him a kiss on the cheek, catching him completely off guard.

"Good night Quigley. I'll see you tomorrow," She said sweetly.

He grinned, "Good night, Miss- I mean good night Fiona. Until tomorrow..."

She turned and disappeared behind her bedroom door.

Quigley sighed and whispered softly to himself, "I wish I didn't have to leave her tomorrow..."

He opened the opposite door and joined the other boys in their room. That night the young cartographer and the mycologist fell asleep filled with thoughts of each other. Each held a small glimmer of hope that when they had to say good-bye at Briny Beach tomorrow that they would find a way to see each other again.

 **~End of Chapter**


	15. Kit's Promise

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

It was just past 8 the next morning when the Queequeg finally arrived at its Vigorously Fixed Destination. They parked at the dock and the Baudelaires and Quagmires gathered their belongings, ensuring they didn't leave anything behind, and said good-bye to Captain Widdershins and Phil. Fiona wished to come see them off and followed the others up the ladder and out of the ship. The Baudelaires looked around the area with mixed emotions on their faces.

"We made it to Briny Beach, just like we were told," Violet said, her voice shaking a bit.

Duncan wrapped his arm around her as she reached down to hold Sunny's hand. Klaus and Isadora held each other as the poet could feel her love's sorrow from being in this miserable location. Quigley stood by Fiona as they watched the others' solemn reactions. His own eyes were downcast as he couldn't stop thinking about the fact that he had to say good-bye so soon.

"Where's Kit," Isadora asked looking around nervously.

"Her taxi is parked on the curb," Klaus replied looking through his spyglass, "She's waiting for us."

"Then you should get going," Fiona said.

They all smiled at her and thanked her for helping them. The others started to walk a little ahead, but Quigley didn't move. He grabbed Fiona's hand and looked into her eyes.

"Before I go, I just wanted to say I'll miss you," He said quietly.

She gave him a sad smile, "I'll miss you too, Quigley. It's been a pleasure to know you."

He sighed and blurted out a question that he hadn't actually meant to ask, "Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

She laughed lightly and put a hand on his cheek, he leaned into her soft touch, "I can't. My place is with my stepfather. And your place is with your siblings. Family is the most important thing in the world. I wouldn't dare ask you to leave your family; please don't ask me to leave mine. Besides my stepfather says we're going to the meeting on Friday too, so this isn't good-bye forever."

"It sure feels like it is."

"I pray you have a safe journey from here, Quigley. I... care about you a lot..."

She moved her glasses to wipe away the tears that threatened to spill over. He felt his heart warm from her sweet words.

In a swift move that he had done often before he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, his eyes never leaving hers, as he spoke, "I'll be fine. And just in case we don't see each other again, here's something to remember me by."

He kissed her deeply. Her eyes widened with shock before she felt her knees weaken. Fiona had never had a boyfriend, and she had surely never been kissed before, but this was better than she could have imagined. She wrapped her arms around his neck as her insides fluttered. The two didn't care one bit that the rest of the group was watching them. When the couple pulled away Fiona's face was now very red as she adjusted her glasses.

"Wow," She breathed, her brain was now rather dizzy with delight at his romantic gesture.

He smirked seductively, "Yeah I know. I've been told I'm a good kisser. But you're the only girl I want to kiss from now on."

"You truly mean that?"

"Absolutely; I have to go now," He reluctantly let go of her, "Good bye, Miss- I mean, good-bye Fiona. I promise we will see each other again."

Fiona grinned, "Good-bye Quigley, I'll hold you to that promise."

She turned and entered her submarine once again as the six of them hurried over to the taxi. Kit greeted them with a smile and commanded them inside as she started the car. Violet and Klaus got into the front once again with Sunny in their arms as the triplets took the back seat. Kit examined the area with her spyglass before deciding it was safe and they drove away.

"I'm happy to see you made it on time," She said, "Things got scary after we lost Olivia."

"We followed your instructions as best as we could," Violet replied.

"We even found the survivor of the fire," Duncan said; the triplets held each other's hands with pride.

Kit looked at them through her rear view mirror, "It's nice to see the Quagmire triplets whole again. Jacqueline told me what happened at Headquarters. I'm sorry for not checking on it myself beforehand, but there wasn't any time."

"We understand," Quigley responded, "It wasn't something you needed to see."

"How's your baby," Isadora asked.

"Perfectly fine, thank you. I had a check-up, and the doctor said it could happen any day now," She patted her stomach affectionately.

"Are we going to Hotel Denouement now? We found a Verbal Fridge Dialogue message addressed to Jacques in the Headquarters and we know about the meeting," Klaus asked.

The woman sighed, "I'm glad you managed to find that message even if it didn't reach the correct person. However, I never said we were going to Hotel Denouement. I said I would explain the plan when we met again and here we are."

"What are you talking about? Aren't you taking us to the meeting with the other volunteers," Quigley asked worriedly.

"Meeting," Sunny said quizzically, which meant, "I thought we would be going to the last safe place?"

"That was part of the original plan. But once we lost Olivia, Jacqueline, Larry, and I altered our course. Olaf knows about the meeting and he's on his way there now as we speak. We have a double agent feeding us his plans. The best part is: _Olaf doesn't know where you are_. Our inside man says they've focused efforts on finding the sugar bowl. You are completely off the radar meaning we can't possibly allow you to go to Hotel Denouement. Noble volunteers will be swarming the building and we'll be working round the clock to bring him to justice; by any means necessary."

"You have a double agent in Count Olaf's troupe," Violet's eyes widened with shock, "Who?"

Kit smiled, "His name is Fernald. Though you might know him better as the hook-handed man."

"Fernald?! Fiona Widdershins' brother is the hook-handed man in Olaf's troupe," Quigley shouted in disbelief.

"That's correct. Olaf didn't reach the water in time to follow the Queequeg; he chose instead to go to the meeting. Jacqueline received a coded telegram from Fernald telling us that he would risk everything and work as an inside man. He says he loves his sister too much to see Olaf potentially hurt her. After this is over, he swears on his life he will turn himself in in exchange for his sister's protection."

Quigley felt his insides burn with rage, "But Fiona is going to that meeting with her stepfather! Olaf will find her there and he will surely find out about this!"

"Hey, she'll be alright," Duncan said, trying to calm his brother down.

"Quigley, if her brother is doing this for her then he won't let anyone hurt her," Isadora said.

"I have to be at that meeting, Kit! I'm not going to let Fiona be in danger!"

"Quiet," Kit commanded sternly, her normally calm, professional tone changing to that of a strict parent, "Quigley, I understand you care for Miss Widdershins, but we _must_ stick to the plan. I am taking you all to a safe house. Jacqueline set it up for you in her name."

"We'll have to thank her for it later," Klaus said.

Kit nodded, "Miss Scieszka is an incredibly resourceful agent, isn't she? It's a shame she had to work undercover for Mr. Poe for so many years. I never could stand that blasted banker; I don't know how Bertrand and Beatrice put up with him. Now about Fiona, Quigley, if it will ease your mind, I swear to you I will protect your friend. I will be meeting her there. Fernald too. I will join you all at the safe house once everything has been taken care of. You have my word as a volunteer."

Giving someone your word that you will do something most often means you will do whatever it takes to accomplish that task. Kit had kept her promises to the orphans so far, but she hadn't sworn something so fiercely until now. Her eyes were filled with warmth and sincerity as she drove them out of the city. And they knew they were safe with her. She had done so much for them; they would be fools to relinquish their faith in her now. And as much as Quigley hated to admit it, she was right. They had managed to escape Olaf for this long and going to Hotel Denouement would practically be suicide.

Quigley looked down for a moment, "I'm sorry for getting upset Kit... if you say Fiona will be safe at that meeting then I trust you."

"Good, now relax, we have a long drive ahead of us."

She didn't have to tell them twice. They were all breathing easier from being with their friend. Duncan and Isadora had taught the Baudelaires what true friends were for; even if they ended up being far more than that they all felt it ring true with Kit Snicket. She was a true friend to them, and true friendship was hard to come by in a world filled with so many wicked people. Kit was a noble person, one of the most noble any of them had met in a long while. A loud ringing interrupted their drive, and Kit reached down to answer her phone; making sure to keep her eyes on the road.

"Hello... Yes Dewey, I have them right here," Kit then switched to the speaker phone so everyone could hear the conversation.

"Greetings, children," The voice of Dewey Denouement rang over the speaker, "My wife has told me a lot about you. I'm happy to know the Baudelaires and the Quagmires are safe thanks to our efforts. Everyone is thrilled to see the lines finally merge in the future."

The comment caused Duncan and Violet to smile softly; while Klaus and Isadora blushed a bit.

"We're on our way to the safe house, darling. We just left the city and we'll end up there by sometime this afternoon."

"I couldn't be happier, my dear. Everything is going well on my end. Olaf just arrived at the Hotel and Ernest checked him in. My brother Frank is on the fire-fighting side of the schism; Ernest is on the fire-starting side, unfortunately. Mr. Fernald is set to meet me in a secluded location once he's able to be alone. He wishes to greet Miss Widdershins in secret when she arrives via port and I will be bringing him there."

"Dewey, I promised Quigley Quagmire that Miss Widdershins would be safe at this meeting. Keep an eye on her until I get there."

"I will; Mr. Fernald's loyalty to his sister is admirable. He will not allow Olaf to harm her, Mr. Quagmire."

"Thank you for your support, sir," Quigley spoke up so he could be heard from the back seat.

Kit nodded, "A good brother will love you no matter what, believe me I know."

"Our mother used to say that," Violet said, "She taught it me after Klaus was born."

"Beatrice did say that," Kit noted, "Her brother Ike Anwhistle was a good man."

"Jacqueline and Larry arrived on schedule. Everyone else should be here by lunch time. How are you Kit? Is the baby alright?"

"We're both fine, darling. By the way, Dewey, would you like to know what we're having?"

"You know what it is? Please, dear, tell me!"

Kit smiled, "We're having a girl."

There was a long pause before Dewey responded, his voice cracking, "A girl... A beautiful little girl!"

"That's wonderful," Violet said, "We're all very happy for you two."

"I appreciate that," Dewey said, "I look forward to meeting you all in person once the mission is complete. Drive safely, Kit."

"I always do," Kit replied her smile widening, "I shall see you soon. Before you go, is there any sign of Lemony yet? I would be delighted to have him be there when his niece is born."

"I'm afraid not. You're the only one who's heard from him since-"

"I know," Kit interrupted, her smile quickly faded, "Since the fire... I do hope he shows up."

"There's always a chance he might," Dewey replied, "Good bye, my dear."

"Good bye, darling," Kit hung up the phone.

"What happened to your brother Lemony," Duncan asked, "You said you were working closely with him and Jacques on this case."

Kit kept her eyes on the road, but her saddened face showed that she wasn't very pleased with the question.

"We still are. Olivia may have assigned me this mission, but Lemony is the one who convinced me to take it. Lemony Snicket was very close to Beatrice back in the day. So close in fact that he even proposed to her. At first she accepted, but then she returned the ring and sent him a 200 page letter explaining why she could not marry him. In short, she fell for Bertrand Baudelaire. My brother was heart-broken, but his loyalty to her did not waver. He wanted Beatrice to be happy, even if it wasn't with him. He even gave Bertrand the very same engagement ring to propose to her with and she gladly accepted. About a year later they had you, Violet. My brother was completely destroyed after your house fire. He begged me to do whatever it took to protect you Baudelaires, and I will honor that. I gave him my word, and I _never_ go back on my word."

 **~End of Chapter**


	16. Hotel Denouement

**Begin!**

 **~Kit's POV**

I dropped off the Baudelaires and the Quagmire triplets at their safe house as instructed and now I have returned to Hotel Denouement. I put on my sunglasses and grabbed my handbag before stepping out of my taxi and heading inside. The lobby was bustling with people as usual, employees, volunteers, and other various guests alike. I recognized several of our clearly non-volunteer guests as I strode through the lobby. Hopefully, these people wouldn't cause us any trouble for the meeting on Friday; today was Wednesday. I inwardly scoffed as I noticed someone reading the _Daily Punctilio_. I wonder wherever Lemony's old friend Moxie was after all these years; she would have taken over that blasted newspaper and turned it around by now if she were here. Perhaps Duncan Quagmire would do it for her in the future, if we're lucky.

It was always unnerving when the volunteers all got together like this. The last masquerade ball at the Headquarters proved that true when Olaf attempted to push Beatrice off a balcony. Thank goodness that dragonfly costume she wore had actual working wings or else her wonderful children would never have been born. I saw Frank, or Ernest, managing the concierge desk and nodded politely to him. Frank, Ernest, and Dewey were identical triplets and telling them apart was practically impossible, unless you're my husband Dewey of course. This made our interactions rather difficult as I intended to avoid Ernest as much as I possibly could during my stay. Damn the fact that those two men purposely never wear name tags. Even the Quagmire triplets put in the effort to make their appearances more distinct so others could tell them apart. Frank and Ernest just liked to confuse people, I suppose.

I was already checked in from my visit here after leaving the children in the mountains so I quickly stepped into the elevator and rode it up to my room. I never liked these old elevators, this one has been in need of repairs for a few years now but no one ever got around to it. Upon reaching my floor I stepped out of the rickety contraption and proceeded down the hall. I reached my room and set my bag on my nightstand before taking a seat in an armchair by the desk.

"It's been hard to find comfort these days in a body that offers so little," I said to myself as I patted my stomach, "But it'll all be worth it when you get here."

I opened a drawer on the desk and took out a paper that had been placed inside while I was out.

 _Dear,_

 _I'll meet with you at lunch. Don't be late._

 _P.S. Mr. Fernald will be meeting us at 3 this afternoon, the Queequeg is expected to arrive at that time based on Captain Widdershins' call._

I smiled at the note so obviously left by Dewey before glancing at the clock on the desk. It was 11:30, meaning lunch wasn't for another hour. I got up and walked into the bathroom for a quick shower.

Upon finishing, I changed into some more comfortable attire, well as much as I _could_ given my current maternal status. Dewey would be livid if he were here, he had been insistent on helping me with every little thing since my second trimester. I had to pry him off me when I was sent to retrieve the sugar bowl and save the Baudelaires and Quagmires from the hospital. My husband was wonderful, but goodness was he stubborn when he wanted to be. I pocketed the note, sat back down and pulled a book out of my handbag to occupy the time while I waited. Lemony always said, "Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them." That was a statement that I happened to agree with.

I headed down to the hotel's restaurant where I sat at an empty table and looked over my menu. After a few minutes, a handsome man sat down beside me. I smiled at him.

"Hello, darling."

"Greetings, my dear," Dewey said before giving me a quick kiss.

Jacqueline and Larry joined us at the table a moment later. The four of us ordered our meals the first chance we could get; in order to ensure our privacy.

"Good afternoon Kit," Jacqueline said, "You're looking well."

"I feel well, Miss Scieszka, thank you for noticing. Larry, it's good to see you too."

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Snicket," The waiter replied.

"Now that we're all here, and we're alone, let's discuss our plan," Dewey said, pulling a telegram out of his uniform pocket, "Olaf has been coming in and out of his room since his arrival."

"Any idea why," Larry asked.

"Upon my observations, he appears frustrated. He lost one of his henchpersons in the Heimlich Hospital fire, and then lost another in the lion pit at Caligari Carnival; the two white-faced women appear to have deserted him as he mentioned they shouldn't have quit. The only people who arrived with him were Esmé Squalor and Mr. Fernald; who we know is our inside man. I've noticed a lot of relationship tension between Olaf and Mrs. Squalor. They've been avoiding each other for hours. She's been staying at the pool and he's been everywhere in the building except the pool."

"Do you think he is suspicious of our contact," Jacqueline asked quietly.

Dewey sighed, "Thankfully, no. That man has been with Olaf longer than any of his henchmen. Olaf hasn't questioned his loyalty so far, let's hope it stays that way. Kit and I will meet Mr. Fernald at 3 and take him down to the port when the Queequeg arrives."

"I promised Quigley Quagmire that Fiona Widdershins would be safe here. I want you both to help us with that. He cares for her."

"A cartographer and a mycologist, huh? Who knew," Larry replied, "We'll do whatever you ask."

I smiled and nodded; Larry was a bit of a bumbling doofus at times, but he was a good man who could be trusted.

"Before we discuss anything else, let's eat," Dewey said, as a waiter came by with our orders.

As we ate, I watched curiously as Larry kept stealing side glances at Jacqueline. She seemed to glance back from time to time. I was under the impression that Jacqueline was involved with Gustav before his untimely death, but they revealed they had just been friends. Perhaps something had happened between the secretary and the waiter seated in front of me. They seemed eager to avoid eye contact with each other, but they also sat close together without objection in our small booth. Once we finished our meals, we went back to our discussion.

"Jacqueline, I want you to come with me to check on the conference room and make sure the set-up is going smoothly," I commanded, "Larry, we need you to patrol the 10th floor and watch for any sign of danger. We've got eyes on the other floors already. If you see Frank or Ernest, don't speak to them unless you have to."

"I'll meet you in our room once it's time for the rendezvous, my dear," Dewey said, giving me a hug.

We all got up from the table and proceeded off in different directions. Jacqueline grabbed my arm to help me walk, as the conference room was only accessible via a set of stairs past the lobby.

I smiled gratefully at her as we climbed the stairs, "Thank you, the little one hasn't made my job easy for months now."

"Oh, I'm sure."

"Jacqueline, did something happen between you and Larry? I couldn't help noticing things looked awkward between you."

Jacqueline's face turned a bit pink, "I suppose I can't hide it any longer then. When I helped the Baudelaires and the Quagmires escape down the Stricken Stream I had Larry watching from a helicopter. When we spoke through our communicators he said, 'we've lost too many people already, I'd be devastated if one of those people was you.' I replied neutrally at the time, but I haven't been able to get the words out of my head since. It's made things different between us. I've barely been able to look him in the eye since we got here."

"And how do you feel about his words?"

Jacqueline paused, "They are sweet, and I wish to respond to those feelings, but I'm not sure if now is the right time to do so. We're in this mess until Olaf is stopped for good. I can't act on these feelings now."

"In a world so full of wickedness and treachery, it's always comforting to see a new love blossom regardless of current adversity. Look at young Violet Baudelaire and Duncan Quagmire. They are happy together, and their relationship thrives despite their unfortunate experiences. Look at Klaus Baudelaire and Isadora Quagmire. Their love for each other has protected them through all their strife. Even Quigley Quagmire found love in Fiona Widdershins in the short time they got to spend together. Dewey and I are having a baby in these difficult times for god's sake! My friend, there will likely never be a 'right' moment to do anything. Life is full of inopportune moments. But if you don't choose to act when you have even the smallest chance, you will regret it for the rest of your life."

Jacqueline looked at me with wide eyes as we reached the conference room. Her brow then furrowed in concentration as she processed my advice.

"I never thought of it that way before."

"That's because you weren't thinking clearly. There wasn't a right moment for Jacques and Olivia to be together but they did anyway. And now they're together again in the great beyond. But at least they didn't die with the regret of never following their hearts."

She smiled at me, "Thank you, Kit, for your advice. I will... confront Larry about this when we get back to our room."

I smiled at her once again and we proceeded into the conference room to continue our assignment.

Dewey and I walked purposefully towards our destination together later that day. We strode through the lower floors of the hotel where the private port was located. Hotel Denouement may not seem like it, but it was a truly fancy place. All V.F.D. locations were since all our members were so wealthy. We rounded a corner and saw the very man we intended to meet. A slightly darker skinned man who had hooks instead of hands and was currently fussing with a deck of cards before he noticed us approaching him.

"Mr. Fernald," Dewey asked carefully.

He nodded, "Yes it's me."

"Are you alone," I asked.

"Completely, Olaf is in his room, and I swear he doesn't know I'm here."

Dewey smiled, "Then let's take you to your sister."

Fernald grinned and eagerly followed us down the stairs into the boathouse area. Several speedboats and a few submarines were docked in the waters already. We stood and waited as right on schedule the Queequeg rose up from the murky waters. The top hatch opened and out climbed the captain, his stepdaughter, and a man I did not recognize. The three approached us before noticing who were standing with.

"Fiona!"

"Fernald?!"

The two embraced rather awkwardly, but they looked immensely happy nonetheless. Captain Widdershins watched with a neutral expression, but his eyes were a bit glossy at the scene. I introduced us and explained to them our plans. The captain and his crew mate nodded and left to check into their rooms as Fiona chose to stay with us and Fernald until we had to separate again later.

"You mean the Baudelaires and the Quagmires aren't here," Fiona looked down sadly.

"I'm sorry Fiona; it was for their safety. Olaf doesn't know where they are and once we finish our mission I will take you to them," I told her.

Fernald spoke up, "Fiona, I'm working for Count Olaf, but I don't want to do that if it means he might hurt you. I've been working as an inside agent."

"Fernald, you really do care," The girl smiled at him.

"Of course I do little sister. I'm your brother, and I'd do anything for you. But just so you know right now, once we finish this I promised I'd turn myself in in exchange for your protection. I'll probably be going to jail for a long time after all the terrible things I've done..."

Fiona hugged him, "But you want to change for me. That's worth risking so much over, thank you big brother."

"You don't have to worry about a thing, young lady," I said, "Fernald has to go back to his boss now, but Dewey and I will escort you to your room. I promised Quigley Quagmire I would protect you."

Fernald gave his sister a rather stern look, awkwardly putting his appendages on his hips, "And who is Quigley Quagmire?"

Fiona's face turned cherry red and she replied shyly, "I'll tell you later Fernald..."

The man eyed her for a few moments before turning to leave and return to his assignment. We took Fiona with us up to the room where her stepfather was staying in, ensuring she was on board with our complicated plan. Dewey left me in our room as he went back to his spying on Olaf. I sat down at my desk once more and patted my stomach affectionately.

"It's almost over, little one. The world will be quiet once more by the time you finally arrive."

 **~End of Chapter**

 **Chapter 17 will take place during this one. I hope the POV change was alright.**


	17. The Safe House

**Begin!**

 **Note: takes place at the same time as the last chapter. This chapter might be super chill just so you know.**

 **~Normal POV**

The safe house ended up being a cozy shack secluded in the forest, fully stocked with everything they needed to live for at least the next few days. The best part was simply having the chance to live in a comfortable house for the first time in a long while. Kit's only instructions from this point on were to stay inside and don't let anyone in no matter what. The windows were covered with room-darkening curtains to keep people from looking inside, and the front and back doors were set up with a complex locking system that Jacqueline had installed to keep out intruders. Despite essentially being under house arrest with the security measures, the six children felt very at home as long as they were together. The situation likely reminded them of their plans to own a mansion together as adults; a plan they had informed Quigley of. And they were all thankful for the chance to bathe, and sleep in a proper bed for a change.

The shack had four bedrooms, and two bathrooms. Violet and Isadora shared a room, and gave Sunny her own room; while Klaus and Duncan shared a room, letting Quigley have his own.

There was a telegraph machine in the living room just in case there was an emergency of some kind. Kit had explained that a number of volunteers lived nearby and would rush to their aid if something happened. She had also said it would be too dangerous to notify the children on the things happening at the hotel, for fear of their enemies learning of their location. This was a fear the children understood all too well. The other volunteers were already taking a big enough risk by trusting Fernald's deception of Olaf, one that they hoped would not be in vain, and trying to hide anything else might be too much to handle.

So for the rest of the day after arriving, the children set about peacefully finding things to occupy their time. Klaus and Isadora spent some time teaching Sunny to read using some books they had found. Duncan and Violet spent more "quality alone time" together in the living room while keeping an eye on the door just in case someone might show up. Quigley stayed up in his room most of the day; the others weren't really sure what he had been up to. As lunch time rolled around, Sunny showed off her cooking skills once more for the others and they all sat in the living room to enjoy their meal. As the others talked happily, they noticed that Quigley had barely touched his food and was rather uninterested in their conversation.

"Quigley," Isadora said, "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine Izzie."

"You don't look fine to us," Klaus noted.

"Fiona," Sunny said quizzically, which obviously seemed to ask, "Are you worried about Fiona?"

Quigley didn't respond as he ate. Everyone shared worried looks.

"You know Kit hasn't failed us yet. I'm sure that Fiona is fine," Duncan said.

Quigley sighed, "I just... wish I could be there to know for sure. I mean she was expecting to see us there too."

"Kit most likely told her what happened otherwise how else would she find out about the plan," Klaus replied.

Duncan and Isadora found themselves smiling knowingly at each other over their brother's behavior.

"You must really like her to be this worried," Isadora said.

"Yeah I haven't seen you this torn up over a girl since you broke up with Marissa," Duncan said.

"Hey Marissa dumped me, ok? It's not my fault that she realized she... preferred other things."

Violet and Klaus snickered realizing what he had meant. Quigley glared at them for a moment.

"Quigley listen to us, Fiona is fine and I know we'll see her again once everything is over," The poet said, "And we all think it's sweet that you care so much."

Everyone voiced their agreement as the cartographer looked up at them.

"She's our friend too, you know," Violet said, "We're all worried about everyone right now. But dwelling on it isn't going to make things better. For now it's best if you just put it out of your mind and focus on what's happening here."

Quigley paused, "You're right, I'm sorry for being such a downer."

"That's ok, little brother. I think it's about damn time that world renowned ladies' man Quigley Quagmire finally settled down with a nice girl," Duncan said smirking.

"Shut up, you jerk."

Isadora laughed, "Quigley's in love! Hell freezes over!"

Quigley blushed, "Shut it Izzie."

"How long have we waited for this moment?"

Isadora checked a calendar on the wall and froze suddenly, "Violet you said your birthday was the 8th right?"

Violet stood and started picking up everyone's plates to wash, "Yeah why?"

"Because our birthday already happened..."

Duncan and Quigley got up and looked at the calendar with her.

"Our birthday was on March 31st; and we completely forgot. We're 15…"

"Guys we're not just 15," Duncan said smiling, "We're able to celebrate our birthday together again."

Isadora grinned, "That's right; last year we didn't think we'd ever have another birthday with all three of us."

Quigley smiled for the first time since they had left Briny Beach. The triplets embraced each other in a tight hug.

"Happy birthday."

That night everyone celebrated the triplets' belated birthday with a special dinner Sunny prepared for them. After putting Sunny to bed the rest of them decided to stay up for a while.

"You know, I almost can't believe we made it this far," Violet said taking a seat on the couch beside Duncan, "We've survived so many things."

"We stole a boat and sailed through a hurricane," Klaus said thoughtfully as Isadora sat on his lap.

"You were hypnotized by an evil optometrist," Isadora said.

"Izzie and I got kidnapped," Duncan added.

"We climbed a mountain," Quigley said, "Then we rode to shore in a submarine."

"It might be more fun to think about things that we haven't done," Violet said.

"We could do that. There's a game called 'Never Have I Ever.' Basically, one person says something and then if someone else has done that thing then they raise their hand and they get a point," Isadora said, "It's normally done with alcohol, but we could do without it if you guys want to try it."

"Hm, alright, we'll try it," Violet said, "You can start since it was your idea."

Isadora thought for a moment, "Ok, never have I ever: refused to clean my room when I was told to."

Violet raised her hand, "I have. Mother would get so upset. She would give us what she called a Hobson's choice. If I didn't clean my room she would say, 'then I'll just stand in the doorway and sing your least favorite song over and over again until you do.'"

Duncan laughed, "That's not much of a choice, what was your least favorite song?"

"Row, Row, Row Your Boat," Violet groaned, "I _hate_ that song. I especially hate the part about life being but a dream."

"A Hobson's choice is a choice where you really only have one option, or something bad happens," Klaus explained, "Mother would use it all the time to get us to behave."

"Alright, Violet your turn."

"Never have I ever: broken a family antique."

Duncan and Quigley both raised their hands sheepishly, "We have."

"I remember that, they were chasing each other around the house because Quigley stole Duncan's teddy bear and they both ran right into mother's glass statue cabinet. Literally every little statue in the cabinet fell and shattered."

"We were both grounded for a year," Duncan added, "You go next Quigley."

"Uh, never have I ever: sang along to a musical."

Isadora and Violet both raised their hands, their faces turning very red.

"You too," The girls looked at each other in disbelief.

Klaus laughed, "Oh, I can confirm this one, Violet. And I even know exactly which movie it was because I was there when you did it."

"Shut up, Klaus!"

"What movie was it," Duncan asked, "I simply must know because we already know which one was Izzie's."

Klaus smirked as Violet glared at him, knowing there was nothing she could do to stop him from answering the question, "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang."

Isadora grinned, "Oh, I love that movie!"

"You don't have to be embarrassed, love," Duncan said pulling Violet close, "I love that movie too."

Violet's face turned scarlet, "Klaus, would you like me to tell Isadora that you cry every time you watch Hello, Dolly?"

It was now Klaus' turn to blush deeply, "That was uncalled for, and I do not cry _every_ time!"

"Hey that's the movie Izzie sings along to," Quigley laughed, "Glad to know my sister found a guy with the same taste in movies."

Isadora's face was still red as she looked at Klaus, "It's my favorite musical. Which part makes you cry?"

"When Cornelius and Irene sing their duet," Violet answered smirking, "Breaks him every time."

Duncan smirked, "And that would be the part that Izzie sang along to. You two really were made for each other."

"Alright, I think we've embarrassed them enough, Izzie it's your turn again," Quigley said.

"Never have I ever," Isadora smirked, "Wanted to date a fictional character."

Everyone raised their hands, but they all decided that Klaus should go next.

"So Klaus, who was it you wanted to date," Isadora asked, "I won't get jealous."

Klaus blushed and sighed, "Hermione Granger."

"Only because he's got a thing for Emma Watson," Violet added.

"Ok," Klaus said before his sister could embarrass him more, "Never have I ever: sang in the shower."

Duncan raised his hand, "Guilty. Never have I ever: cried during a Pixar movie."

Everyone raised their hands, but Violet was chosen first, "Hm, never have I ever: believed my toys had feelings."

Once again, everyone raised their hands, but Isadora spoke up, "Ok, it's late so I think we should go to bed."

Quigley got up off his couch, "Good night."

Klaus and Isadora got up from their chair and followed Quigley upstairs. Violet turned off the table lamp before grabbing Duncan's hand to stop him from leaving the room.

"I thought we were going to bed."

She pulled him back down onto the couch with her, "I wanted to give you a belated birthday present, honey."

He smiled, "What did you have in mind, love?"

Violet smirked seductively, "I'll show you."

She pulled him into a passionate kiss. He pulled her on top of him, and slipped his tongue into her mouth to meet hers. The inventor and the journalist loved their "quality alone time."

And none of them knew that Klaus and Isadora were spending a very similar alone time together of their own in the boys' shared room, while they still could, as the researcher wanted to give his own belated birthday present to his poet.

 **~End of Chapter**

 **After how much important stuff was in the previous chapter I wanted to tone it down with something more relaxed, and add a bit of romance that I haven't been able to put as much of recently. I hope that was alright. And please don't be mad at me for the stuff I put in the Never Have I Ever game I was making it up as I went along.**

 **(And the couples weren't doing anything too bad that night, they're too young for such things.)**


	18. Tying Up Loose Ends

**Begin!**

 **~Kit's POV**

It's Thursday now, meaning tomorrow is the meeting that will finally end all of this. Fernald informed us that Olaf will of course attend the meeting at the correct time. I'm not sure what he intends to find at this get together, but I _know_ what he will receive. Dewey, Frank, and I have it all planned out. Fernald has proven his loyalty thus far, and Fiona's safe arrival appears to have boosted his confidence. His information gathering has increased since yesterday. With Dewey's spying and Fernald's inside voice we know every step Olaf is taking from here on out. I felt horrible having to tell that girl that her friends couldn't be here with her, but she'll see them soon enough.

"My dear, I must ask you something," Dewey spoke from his spot beside me in our bed; it was morning and we hadn't gotten up yet.

I smiled at him, "Yes, darling what is it?"

He faltered for a moment and put his hand on my stomach, "Have you thought at all about a name yet? We've been so busy these past months that we haven't picked a name for our little one."

I looked down at my stomach thoughtfully, "I think I'd like to name her after an old friend."

He regarded me carefully for a few moments before realizing what I was suggesting.

He smiled that wonderfully charming smile of his, "I think that sounds wonderful, but you might have to ask permission first."

"I was intending to do so after this mission," I said as I got out from under the covers, "I want you to come there with me. You'll like those children. They're just as smart and resourceful as their parents."

Dewey grinned as he got out of bed, "I would be happy to, but for now we have work to get back to."

As we got dressed, Dewey took out yet another secret message he had received from Fernald. His brow furrowed in concentration as he read it.

"What's the matter?"

"Mr. Fernald says that Esmé Squalor must be dealt with before tomorrow. She and Olaf have apparently broken up meaning she is now a liability that we can't afford to keep around. He says she moved to room 667, and her status as the city's 6th most important financial adviser has made the _Daily Punctilio_ rather interested in her stay here."

I sighed, "Reporters will be swarming the place."

"Precisely, and we must ensure that Mrs. Squalor does not attend the meeting. Should I ask Jacqueline? I have to get back to spying."

"I'll inform her. Are there any instructions on how we could deal with this?"

"No, I assume he means that anything is fair game. Esmé has been a rather large thorn in our side for ages. She still believes that the sugar bowl was hers."

"Never mind about the sugar bowl, darling," I patted his arm, "I hid it where no one will ever find it."

He smiled, "I never said I doubted you. I have to go now, my dear."

He kissed me deeply before leaving the room. I picked up the phone and called Jacqueline to give her our new assignment.

 **~Jacqueline's POV**

Larry and I were given a doubly important task today: dispose of Esmé Squalor by any means necessary. I couldn't help feeling a small amount of satisfaction at being honored with this mission. I had to watch as Esmé shoved Olivia into that lion pit... Bringing that fiend to justice would be marvelous. I had been told that Esmé had been hanging around the pool since her arrival. Larry and I hurried down there as quickly as we could.

"What do you think we should do," He asked.

"Trying to bring her in alive would be the best course," I reached into my pocket and pulled out a tranquilizer, "I'm armed just in case."

Larry smiled fondly at me, "Always prepared, that's what I love about you."

I smiled. Our private discussion in our room last night had gone very smoothly. We've been working together for so long that I can't believe I never opened my heart to him before. Or that he would open his heart for me. As Kit had told me, I would have regretted everything if I hadn't acted while I could, and I'm glad I did. We entered the pool and spotted our target.

Esmé was wearing a ridiculous looking swimsuit, possibly another fashionable choice, and sunbathing by the water. There weren't that many people around thankfully. The less our non-volunteer guests saw the better. We couldn't afford witnesses at the moment. Frank and Dewey would be livid if the meeting was put into jeopardy. We approached her.

"Esmé Squalor," I said, getting her attention.

She looked up at us and removed her sunglasses, "Hello Jacqueline. Hello Larry. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You're under arrest," Larry answered holding up his handcuffs.

The woman laughed, "I figured you would come for me eventually. You goody good volunteers are rather predictable at times."

"You can come quietly or this can get really messy," I pointed my tranquilizer at her.

She stiffened a bit, but her smile did not fade, "Must we resort to this Jacqueline? Is there not some more peaceful way to handle the situation?"

It was clear that she did not intend to follow instructions. And I didn't feel bad at all about what I was forced to do next.

"Esmé Squalor, you are under arrest for assisting in the kidnapping of Duncan and Isadora Quagmire, for resisting arrest, multiple accounts of arson, and for the _murder_ of Olivia Caliban," I shot her with a dart.

Larry and I dragged her unconscious body down to the basement of the hotel. For the longest time we'd had set up a jail of sorts down there. It was hardly ever in use but it was a necessary thing in the end. We handcuffed her tightly in her cell and left the wicked woman to her fate.

I pulled out my communicator as we left the basement, "Kit, are you there?"

"I'm here, status report."

"Mrs. Squalor has been taken care of. We apprehended her alive."

"Thank goodness," Kit replied, "I will have someone visit later if we need information from her. Good job, both of you."

"Thank you, Miss Snicket," Larry said, "We eagerly await our next assignment."

"I'll call you when I have something. Kit out."

I put away our communicator and turned to Larry with a smile, "Where to now?"

He grabbed my arm, "How about lunch? Just the two of us, I'll pay."

I kissed him, "You read my mind."

 **~Fernald's POV**

"This is an outrage!"

"Boss, please remember your blood pressure," I said.

Olaf picked up a chair and threw it across the room, "I don't give a shit! That bitch leaves me after all our hard work and now you come here and tell me she's been arrested?!"

I gave him a sympathetic look, "Ok so it's worse than it seems..."

"Worse than it seems? Tell me, Hooky, how do you think this could possibly get worse?"

I shrugged, "I don't know, boss, but they say time can heal a broken heart."

Olaf picked up a desk lamp and chucked it out the window in frustration. I never liked Esmé but Olaf certainly did; though I can't help thinking that maybe he just liked having someone to sleep with at night. Esmé was more cruel and sadistic than most of us. She had the boss wrapped around her finger since the moment she joined the troupe. Now it was just the two of us, and I knew I was leaving him soon too with my promise to work for Fiona. Everyone else had either died or quit.

"I don't need that whore," Olaf said giving me a dark look, "You're sure that's what you saw?"

"Absolutely boss," I replied sincerely, I knew I wasn't lying, "That secretary and the waiter tranquilized her and dragged her away in handcuffs."

He glared at me for a moment before walking over to his mini fridge and getting a bottle of whiskey.

He chugged at least half of it before he spoke again, "Well, what are you standing there for? Get back to work!"

I flinched and quickly ran out of the room. I made it about halfway down the hall before I let out the breath I was holding. Being a double agent was so nerve wracking. Olaf was getting more irritable by the second. Ever since the white-faced women quit, and when he missed his chance to catch the orphans at Mount Fraught because of Madame Lulu delaying him. My heart had sunk into my stomach when I saw the orphans had gone from the Stricken Stream to the Queequeg. I knew my little sister was on that ship, and Olaf wouldn't hesitate to harm her if necessary. I mean for god's sake he made me lock a baby in a cage and suspend it from the top of a 30 foot tower! There's no telling what he would have done to her.

I love Fiona more than life itself. She's the only thing making this all worth the effort. I never liked working for Olaf that much anyway. He was too demanding, and our crimes had gotten worse over the years. Way worse than I had originally planned when I ran away from my stepdad. I had only joined him so I would have somewhere to go. I decided to take a risk and go see her. Dewey had said I was allowed to as long as I was careful not to be seen. I remembered her room number and stepped into the elevator.

Upon reaching her door I looked around carefully to ensure I was alone before I knocked. The door opened and I quickly stepped inside. Fiona grinned at me, and beckoned me to sit with her.

"Fernald, you came to see me?"

"I did, I wanted to catch up. What were you doing?"

"I was just reading my mycology book," She set aside her book, _Mushroom Minutiae_ , "What did you want to talk about?"

I remembered what she had said yesterday about a certain someone, "Tell me, who is Quigley?"

She blushed. Not a good sign.

"He's the third Quagmire triplet," She explained hastily, "I met him on the submarine. He had been in hiding this whole time and got to reunite with his siblings."

I looked her over carefully, "And why did Kit say she promised him she would protect you while you were here?"

"I don't know since he's not here. I think maybe he asked her to before she left them at wherever it was they were all taken."

"I see and why would he want you to be protected?"

Her face turned darker red behind her glasses. I felt my brotherly instincts take over.

"What did he do to you?!"

"Nothing it was just a kiss," She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth as I felt rage fill me.

"He did _what_ to my sister?"

She took her glasses off and covered her face with her hands, "Fernald, it's ok really... I didn't mind it. He's super nice, and I really care about him. I've been trying to keep my mind off him since Kit said I'll see him again after this is over, but it's been pretty hard. He kissed me on Briny Beach before he left with his siblings and he said, 'You're the only girl I want to kiss from now on.'"

I felt my rage subside a bit, "Huh... well how about that? My little sister found herself a boyfriend?"

She smiled shyly, "It's not official or anything, but I would feel a lot better about it if I had your approval. Quigley is a great guy."

"What does our stepdad think?"

She sighed, "He doesn't seem to care either way at least right now. He's more interested in your covert operations. He doesn't trust you, you know."

I looked down, "Yeah, I figured as much, but I'm not doing this to gain his approval: I'm doing this for you and only you."

"That's very kind, Fernald, but I love our stepfather too," Fiona said patting my arm, "I hope someday you two can work it out. I know you're going to turn yourself in, and I am ok with that, but I still want to know that we can be a family again after this. Things got rough, mom died; then you left not long after... It really took a toll on our stepfather."

"I can imagine... we didn't part on the best terms."

She nodded, "Our previous cook had to keep stepfather drunk for two days straight just to keep him together after you left. I was still young, and stepfather looked at me after it happened and said, 'I still have you.'"

I smiled faintly, "The captain did always like you best."

I stood from my chair and started to walk towards the door, "I have to go now. And if you want to be with this Quigley Quagmire guy, then I can't stop you. I'll see you again soon when I get the chance."

Fiona's face lit up with a smile, "Thank you big brother, for everything."

 **~End of Chapter**


	19. The Meeting

**Begin!**

 **~Kit's POV**

"Today's the day," I said.

"Indeed it is," Dewey replied, "Do you have it?"

I pulled a suitcase out of the closet and opened it up to reveal the surprise we had planned for the meeting. Dewey nodded as he looked inside the case.

"I wish we could do this a different way," I said, quietly, "Olaf was once a good friend of mine."

"We don't have a choice. He won't turn himself in, and if we lock him up he'll only find a way to escape just like all the other times."

"I understand, darling, but that won't make this any easier."

Dewey put his hands on my shoulders and stared into my eyes, "Nothing we do is easy, my dear. If this were easy then we wouldn't be volunteers. Do you think I'm proud of what we're about to do? I'm not. Ernest is our target today too, and he's my brother for god's sake. I'll handle him, but I trust that you will accomplish your mission at the meeting."

I smiled, "And once this is over the world will be quiet again?"

Dewey kissed my forehead, "Of course, because today is the day we defeat our enemies."

I hugged him, "I'll need your help hiding my surprise."

He smiled, "I'll help you."

He pulled two objects out of the suitcase and helped me hide mine under my dress, as I had trouble bending down due to my pregnancy. He hid his inside his suit jacket. We were set and ready for the meeting. Part of me wished I could inform the Baudelaires and the Quagmires about our final plan, but there was no way I could risk it. Not while everything had been going so smoothly. They would have to find out after the fact.

I pulled out my communicator, "Jacqueline, are you in position?"

"Affirmative, Larry and I have the conference room secure."

"Frank, are you in position," Dewey asked into his communicator.

"Roger that, Ernest is on his way there with Olaf and Fernald as we speak."

"Excellent work, brother, I will see you there."

We put away our communicators and turned to each other.

"Are you ready," Dewey asked.

"No; but a very brave and noble friend of mine once told me that if you wait until you're ready, you'll be waiting for the rest of your life."

"Then let's honor that friend by avenging her death, my dear."

Dewey and I entered the conference room to find the other volunteers had arrived as scheduled. Captain Widdershins had apparently followed my orders and not brought Fiona. Our noble numbers have dwindled in the past few years, and I'd hate to risk a young recruit so easily. Frank met us at our seats by the podium. Jacqueline and Larry were covering the exits. Fernald would be arriving with Olaf and Ernest in a few minutes. I had two other volunteers set to guard the front doors once they entered. I looked around at the other volunteers that had showed up. So many people in this room had been wronged by Count Olaf at some point, myself included.

After waiting several tense moments the doors opened, Olaf entered with Ernest at his side. Fernald saw me and nodded just barely so he wouldn't look suspicious to his comrade before walking in beside them. I carefully reached down from my position and grabbed the object I had and placed it gently on my lap. I looked over at Dewey, who sitting on Frank's other side, and saw him do the same thing.

"Ah, my old friends," Olaf shouted, "My old enemies too!"

 _"Of course he would show up drunk. Fernald says he's been drowning his sorrows in whiskey since his break up."_

"Hello brothers," Ernest said from his spot beside Olaf, "Shall we begin the meeting then?"

Frank stood from his chair, "That won't be necessary, Ernest, the meeting has already happened."

"What are you talking about," Olaf slurred, "The meeting was today, wasn't it?"

"Actually, it was a few days ago," Dewey explained as he stood up, "That meeting was about deciding how to deal with you. This meeting is so every noble member of our organization can see you punished for your crimes."

"Dewey, Frank, you can't be serious," Ernest pleaded pathetically, "I'm your brother, you can't arrest me!"

"I never said we would do that, Ernest," Dewey continued, calmly.

How can that man be so calm knowing what he was about to do? I kept my gaze firmly on Olaf, but in reality I was actually looking past him at Fernald. He kept glancing at me as he waited for his signal.

"Wait so this isn't the meeting after all? I came here for nothing," Olaf said.

I stood and prepared myself for the deed I was about to perform, "You didn't come here for nothing, you fiend."

Olaf stared at me, likely triggered by memories of when he used to love me. I did not love him though, and I most certainly never could after all the wicked things he had done to so many good people.

"Wait how did I not know about the previous meeting," Olaf started, "This doesn't make any sense! I had all the information!"

I glanced at Dewey: it was time.

" _Aye_ , you did Olaf, but there's something you forgot to take into account, loyalty." Fernald perked up at the sound of the signal and I saw him quickly step into position.

"Loyalty," Olaf turned to Fernald, "What's she talking about?"

"I turned you in Olaf," Fernald admitted, "I've been working for them for days. I altered your course, I made sure you didn't get anywhere in time, and I'm tired of working for you. I may be going to jail after this, but at least I know my little sister is safe because of my efforts."

While I didn't see it directly, I could have sworn I noticed Captain Widdershins wipe his eyes suddenly as if those words affected him.

Olaf stared at his former comrade, "You. You did this?"

Fernald looked at me before saying his signal for Dewey, "It's true, and I did it for _Fiona_."

Dewey pulled out his weapon: A harpoon gun. He pointed it at his brother Ernest. Within seconds a harpoon was fired. Ernest was a terrible man. He did many unspeakable things. But I couldn't help noticing the small tinge of sadness in Dewey and Frank's faces as their brother's body hit the floor with a loud thud. One down and one to go, I thought as I gripped my harpoon gun tightly.

"Count Olaf," Frank started, "You are here for your execution; for your crimes against so many of our volunteers, your associates, and their families. You will be punished for the murders of Dr. Montgomery, Ike and Josephine Anwhistle, Gustav Sebald, Jacques Snicket, assisting in the murder of Olivia Caliban and so many others; multiple accounts of arson and kidnapping children, grand larceny, and an entire string of endless crimes. And now you will be punished as the V.F.D. council has decided is best fitting for a man like you."

I pointed my harpoon gun at him, "There's one more crime you forgot to add, Frank."

Olaf laughed, "Oh, really Kit? A harpoon gun, that's such a dark way to go. What crime could you possibly be referring to?"

I put my finger on the trigger, "This is for the murders of Bertrand and Beatrice Baudelaire, you son of a bitch."

 **~End of Chapter**

 **I can't believe I have to explain this. Olaf didn't kill Quinten and Karen Quagmire. It is never said in the books who started the Quagmire fire but it is implied in the tv show to have been Esmé Squalor, since we see the fire and it was started by a mystery woman in strange clothes. Maybe if more people read the books we wouldn't need me to add this.**

 **And another thing: Dewey and Kit live in this book because it was both live or neither. Dewey dies roughly the same way in the show as he does in the book with one exception, when the Baudelaires ask Olaf to stand down the scene is interrupted by someone else and Olaf, not wanting to get caught with a weapon, shoves the harpoon gun into their hands, they slip and it fires which is what kills Dewey. The show simply made it more like the opera scene it's based on where a gun is dropped on the ground and fires to kill a character. In the book, Kit dies due to a combination of childbirth and being poisoned by the Medusoid Mycelium. She did** **NOT** **take any sugar from the bowl, in fact in the books none of the characters even get close to touching the damn bowl. Kit explicitly says, "Tea should be bitter as wormwood and sharp as a double edged sword," meaning she would never take sugar in her tea or at all.**

 **There! Are we cleared up now? Good! Cause I'm not explaining it again!**


	20. Moving Forward

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

"Hey everyone," Violet shouted, "We're getting a telegram!"

"A telegram," Duncan said quizzically, "I thought Kit said we wouldn't be able to get information about the meeting."

Everyone else ran into the living room and they all waited in anticipation as the telegraph printed out its paper. They had been told the machine was only for emergencies. The fact that they were receiving a message put them on edge. Once the paper was finished, Violet read it for the others.

 _Children,_

 _The meeting went according to plan. I will share the details with you when we get there. Dewey and I are on our way. Tell Quigley we're bringing Fiona; I said I'd take her too and her stepfather allowed it. Fernald followed our instructions; he has now been taken into custody willingly, and Miss Widdershins got a chance to say good-bye before he did. She knows what he has done to you in the past and she hopes that you can forgive him as she has. We'll be there in a few hours._

 _-K_

"What do you think happened at the meeting," Klaus asked, "It's not like she told us their part of the plan."

"She might just tell us," Isadora noted, "If everything went well then she shouldn't have a reason to keep it from us anymore."

"Victory," Sunny said, which meant, "Does this mean we won?"

"I think so, Sunny," Violet replied.

"Fiona's coming too," Quigley asked barely containing a smile.

"That's what is says," Duncan replied, "See, Romeo, we told you there was nothing to worry about!"

Quigley laughed, "I never said I doubted you I was just worried!"

Several hours later the taxi pulled up to the shack as expected. Kit, Dewey, and Fiona got out and entered the house. Quigley and Fiona embraced and shared a quick kiss, once again not caring who was watching. Kit and Dewey ushered them all into the living room to talk. The two adults sat on the couch together as everyone else gathered around them.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you Baudelaires," Dewey said, "And you too as well Quagmires. I knew your parents well once upon a time, but I haven't been in contact with them in ages."

"Dewey, before anything else, sir," Violet started, "There's something that we've been meaning to ask about. We don't really know who else to ask other than you two."

"Of course, Miss Violet, what's the matter?"

The Baudelaires and the Quagmires shared knowing looks. They thought back to their discussion outside of the Last Chance General Store after learning about V.F.D. from Duncan and Isadora's notes. With everything happening so fast recently, the question was still planned in their heads. Quigley was told of course what this question was, and he too wanted the answer. Duncan held Violet's hand for comfort as she prepared herself for what would likely be an answer they did not want to hear.

"We understand that our parents were involved heavily with V.F.D.," Violet said choosing her words carefully, "And we have been told much about their heroic exploits. However, after much discussion between the six of us, we would like to know: can we decline a position in your organization?"

Dewey and Kit blinked in surprise. They obviously hadn't expected such a question to come from them.

"Decline?"

"What my sister means is," Klaus said, "Your organization is very noble and we think what you do is wonderful, but we're not interested in being a part of such a dangerous thing."

"None of us are," Duncan added, "We've decided that it's not a life we want to live."

The adults looked at each other, carefully processing their response.

"My stepfather has been part of the organization for ages," Fiona spoke up, "He let me come here on my own, but I don't know what he intends for me to do after this. He said to just think of this as 'shore leave.' I think maybe he just wanted to be alone for a bit after Fernald proved his loyalty at the meeting."

"That sounds like he wants you to come back," Quigley said, holding her hand, "It is your home, and you said your place is with your family."

"And with my brother being carried off to jail I don't have anywhere else to go otherwise."

"So, what's your answer, Mr. Denouement," Isadora asked worriedly.

Dewey regarded them with a mixed expression before responding, "I thought it might come to this. Years ago I was told that Bertrand and Beatrice wanted out of the organization themselves. Miss Violet, they didn't want that life for you, or your siblings. Quinten and Karen were still involved, but they seemed to not want you included either, Quagmires. That was the reason why you children weren't officially introduced until after their deaths. Your parents were close friends, and I know for a fact that Violet was introduced to you triplets as an infant, not that you'd remember, but after the Baudelaires decided to leave the organization they couldn't afford to let you be around each other anymore. With the Quagmires still working for us it was simply too dangerous."

"I remember the last time I spoke to Beatrice," Kit said, "She was holding you in her arms, Klaus, after you had just been born. She looked up at me and said, 'Kit, for the sake of my children I need you to keep the world quiet for us; we can't do it anymore.'"

"So they kept it from us because they didn't want to tell us," Klaus asked.

Dewey nodded, "That is correct, as far as I have been told. To answer your question, we will _not_ force you to join our ranks. What we do isn't easy, and it's always dangerous. If your parents didn't want you to join: then we will honor your request and let you leave us peacefully."

Everyone shared relieved looks of joy at his words.

"You really mean that?"

"Yes we do," Kit said, "But you will remain under our protection just like everyone else. Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about what happened at the meeting."

"So everything went well, I hope," Fiona said, "My stepfather wouldn't tell me what happened."

"You weren't there," Violet asked.

"No he told me to stay in the room until he got back," Fiona replied, "He mentioned that I wouldn't have wanted to be there."

"Indeed, and Captain Widdershins was correct. You wouldn't have wanted to attend, Miss," Dewey said, "To start from the beginning; the meeting today was actually a red herring. The real meeting we had was to discuss what to do about our enemies and it happened shortly after Kit left you on the mountain trail. We came up with a plan and tricked our enemies into attending so we could take care of them."

"Esmé Squalor was arrested; she and Olaf apparently broke up and that left us able to take her in. The two white-faced women deserted him sometime after he left the carnival; their location is unknown, but we can assume they won't be a threat any longer. The henchperson of indeterminate gender died in the Heimlich Hospital fire. The bald man with the very long nose was shoved into the lion pit with Olivia by accident. Fernald turned on Olaf as a desperate attempt to protect you, Fiona, and turned himself in. And Ernest was punished at the meeting as well for his own crimes."

"So, what did you do," Quigley asked slowly.

"The meeting was in reality a public execution," Kit replied quietly, "Count Olaf will never hurt anyone else again. That's why we couldn't allow you to attend."

Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief. A silence fell over the room as everyone processed the shocking information they had just been told. Count Olaf was dead. It was almost too good to be true.

Dewey sighed, "I only wish Ernest didn't have to meet the same fate today."

"Brother," Sunny said, which meant, "Your brother too?"

"Yes, my brother too, Frank and I will run the hotel now."

"What happens to us," Violet asked, "If we're not joining V.F.D.?"

Kit smiled, "We already had a plan for that. We've set you up to attend a boarding school with your tuition funded by myself and several of our associates. It's called Whitmore Academy, and it's run by an old friend of ours, Damien Whitmore. He's a volunteer, but as we said you won't be doing any work for us any longer. You'll live there until you graduate and after that you'll be of age to obtain your family fortunes. You'll be free to do whatever you wish after that point."

"We can assure you children that this place is a much more refined and academically-oriented school than Prufrock ever was. We've been trying to get Prufrock shut down for years," Dewey added with a smile, "Damien is a trustworthy friend, and he will be in constant contact with us if any issues or concerns come up during your stay."

"So, we just get to go back to normal lives," Klaus said.

"As normal as they can be after everything you've been through," Kit answered, "I understand that it's probably not the most preferred option given your history with private school, but it's the best choice to induct you back into normal life. And before you ask, we have ensured that the papers don't think you're murderers anymore either."

"We think it sounds great," Isadora said, "Anywhere is better than Prufrock."

"I agree," Duncan said grinning.

"What about Sunny," Violet asked, "She's still young to attend a school."

"Sunny will live with you of course, we wouldn't dare think to separate you permanently," Dewey said, "Whitmore has a daycare, and you'll be given a dorm to live in. We figured that the six of you might prefer to live together."

"We would," Duncan nodded smiling at Violet, "We don't want to be separated ever again."

"Together to the end," Violet smiled back at her boyfriend, sharing the words that only they understood.

"What about Fiona," Quigley asked.

They all looked at the mycologist as she blushed at Quigley's concern for her, "I have to go back to my father. As much as I would love to go to school with you all, my stepfather needs me more."

Everyone looked disappointed, especially Quigley.

"Perhaps you can talk to your stepdad first," Quigley suggested, "When are we going there?"

"You'll be taken there on Sunday," Kit answered, "Fiona if you wish to speak to your stepfather about possibly leaving his service then we can drive you back to the hotel with us. Jacqueline and Larry are picking you all up on Sunday at 9 a.m. after they stock you up on extra clothes and other luggage to bring with you. You'll be required to wear uniforms, but Whitmore is much more lax about dress code on weekends and days when classes are cancelled."

"I'll talk to my stepfather," Fiona said, "I hope he'll let me stay with you guys."

"If he agrees then let us know immediately, and I'll call Damien about enrolling you as well," Dewey said.

"We should get back to the hotel now. However, Baudelaires there is something very important I wish to ask you."

"What is it," Violet asked.

Kit put her hand on her stomach and smiled fondly, "Dewey and I would like to ask you a small favor. You're the only ones we can ask. With your permission, we'd like to name our daughter Beatrice, after your mother and my very dear friend. I was going to ask her months ago, but I wasn't able to..."

Violet looked at her siblings with the same shared feeling. They didn't even know what they were feeling. Violet felt a few tears well up in her eyes, Klaus looked happy and very clearly stunned, and Sunny grinned showing off her sharp teeth. The Baudelaires didn't even have to think twice about their answer.

"We'd be honored, Kit," Violet said, wiping her eyes.

"Happy," Sunny said, meaning, "It sounds like a great idea."

"We wouldn't dare say no," Klaus added.

Kit and Dewey smiled and thanked them. Quigley wanted to go with Fiona to see her stepfather, hoping to be able to convince him to let her go to Whitmore with them. The four of them left the safe house. Everyone was in high spirits that day. They were going to a new perfectly normal home, and their lives had changed for the better. Their enemy was gone, and they were safe. But most important of all they were together.

Duncan and Violet sat on the couch together that night, waiting up for Quigley's return from the hotel. Klaus and Isadora were already asleep upstairs, along with Sunny, leaving the inventor and the journalist alone. Violet was lying comfortably in Duncan's arms.

"Duncan?"

"Yes, love?"

She smiled, she may not have mentioned it aloud but she loved it when he called her that, "I want to ask you something."

"Ok."

"When we get to Whitmore... what do you think the sleeping arrangements should be like?"

He paused, "Well, they said we're all going to share a dorm. That's six people, possibly seven if Fiona gets to join us. I assume it'll be one room for the boys and one for the girls. Not like we wouldn't be used to it by now."

"And how would you feel if it was one room for each of us?"

"I've had to share a room with my siblings my entire life," Duncan said chuckling lightly, "Having my own room would kind of mess with the tradition. What are you getting at?"

"How would you feel about sharing a room with me," She watched as his face turned scarlet, "I didn't mean like that! I mean just sleeping in the same room at night."

He smiled; his face still very red, "Sorry my brain went somewhere horrible for a second there. I wouldn't mind that at all actually. How do you feel about that?"

"Well, having my own room would be nice, but I'd much rather share with you if I'm able."

He held her tighter, "Then we'll see when we get there I suppose."

She smiled and relaxed in his arms. He stared down at her beautiful face and wondered how he ever got so lucky as to be dating Violet Baudelaire. This wonderful, amazing girl loved him, and he loved her. He couldn't wait to see what the future held for them. A thought suddenly crossed his mind. A thought that he hadn't had before, and couldn't stop himself from voicing.

"Violet," He started, "You probably don't have any intention of getting married, do you?"

She looked at him, sitting up slightly, "After what I've been through with that subject, no I don't."

"I see, ok then," He tried to hide his obvious disappointment.

She put her hand on his cheek and forced him to look at her, "I wasn't finished. I may not want to do it now, but I will get past it over time. And I promise you Duncan, when I'm ready to get married, for real, it'll definitely be to _you_."

He grinned, "I think that sounds like a great idea. I'll wait with you for as long as you need. I love you Violet."

"I love you too Duncan," They kissed passionately, wrapped in each other's arms.

When Violet had told him they would be together to the end she had meant it with all her heart. Violet Baudelaire loved Duncan Quagmire, and she absolutely looked forward to the future they intended to share.

 **~End of Chapter**

 **The story isn't over yet.**


	21. The End

**Begin!**

 **~Normal POV**

Whitmore Academy ended up being exactly as Dewey had described, a refined establishment built on caring for its students, and everyone had settled in comfortably after the first few days. They shared a massive dorm, with plenty of room for them all; even Fiona got to join them after convincing her stepfather to let her leave his service, and she happily settled into her new life on land. Sunny attended daycare every day from 7 a.m. to dinnertime at 6. Already Violet and Klaus were infinitely grateful that their little sister was being treated so fairly in their new home. Principal Whitmore agreed wholeheartedly with them that Prufrock was perhaps the worst example of a school in the world, even without comparing it to their new school.

While they couldn't access their family fortunes for another 3 years, the school did offer job opportunities for students who needed some extra cash. Violet took up a job working in the school's auto shop, getting paid to help fix vehicles. It wasn't as creative as making her own personal inventions, but she had plenty of time on her own to do that; this was for work experience. Duncan, much to the surprise of no one, immediately took a job working for the school newspaper. Within the first week of their stay he had already captured everyone's attention with his lengthy, truthful, detailed articles on whatever news happened to be circling around. Klaus and Isadora happily took up work in the school's massive library helping the librarian with various tasks. The researcher and the poet both agreed that the best part of their job was simply being able to work together, even if it meant having to keep themselves from getting too distracted with each other. Fiona took a job in the school's science department, helping organize and plan things like fairs, along with working with equipment and experiments. Quigley helped out in the school's art studio teaching others with his map drawing skills.

Quigley agreed to take Fiona to visit her brother in prison whenever she asked as a little tradition for them until he would be released. The mycologist couldn't have been more grateful to her brother for allowing them to be together. In more ways than just giving permission; given how he had protected her so fiercely. Fernald had even taken a liking to Quigley; he understood that this boy was technically his enemy for the longest time, but his change of heart was very apparent. The man with hooks instead of hands had never thought that his sister would fall for his enemy, and yet even in his miserable prison cell he was happy to see them together.

It had been a little over a week since their arrival. Duncan and Violet had taken up sleeping in the same room as they had discussed in private. Since it was a shared dorm between multiple girls and boys, the school didn't seem that strict on sleeping arrangements. Not that anyone really minded if the inventor and the journalist slept together; after all they were _just_ sleeping in the same place not doing anything else, as they were still only 15. Klaus and Quigley ended up sharing a room as Isadora and Fiona hadn't reached the point of being comfortable enough to share rooms with their boyfriends yet, choosing instead to share with each other; a fact that the boys were perfectly fine to accept. This was a good thing though as Duncan and Quigley also weren't comfortable with the idea of their sister being alone in a bed with her boyfriend every night. Especially since Klaus was still only 13.

On the first Monday of the following week, the seven of them were hanging out after class in their dorm finding ways to occupy their time. The phone started ringing, which was odd because very few people would actually call them unless it was a work related matter from their jobs. Violet answered it, hoping it wasn't bad news.

"Hello... Dewey? I thought you said we wouldn't- WHAT!? Where are you," Violet quickly grabbed a pen and wrote something down as the others watched wondering what was going on, "Oh, classes let out earlier today so we've got time. Of course, we'll be there soon! Good-bye!"

She quickly hung up and turned to the others with a grin, "Kit's having her baby!"

"What like right now," Duncan asked.

"Yes, and they want us to be there, I wrote down the hospital they're at. Henson Memorial, it's not far from here."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Klaus said, excitedly.

"We can take the bus, let's go!"

They arrived at Henson Memorial Hospital within a half hour bus ride all eagerly talking about their exciting news. They met Jacqueline and Larry in the lobby who had been told to greet them.

"How is she," Isadora asked.

"She's doing fine," Jacqueline replied with a smile, "She only just went into labor a while ago. Larry, go tell Dewey the children are here."

Larry nodded and left. Violet noticed a gift shop in the room and the Baudelaires decided to buy some gifts for the soon to be parents. After all, this baby was being named after their mother; it was only the generous thing to do. Fiona and the triplets bought a few gifts for the happy couple as well. After a few minutes Larry returned with Dewey and a man the children had never seen before. He looked an awful lot like Jacques and Kit though.

Dewey grinned at them, "Greetings children! I'm so happy to see you could make it!"

"We're happy to be here sir," Klaus said, "We thought you guys might like some presents for the occasion."

"Absolutely we would, Kit will be so pleased."

"Where's Frank," Fiona asked, "Wouldn't your brother want to be here?"

"I left him in charge at the hotel. He'll come by later after the baby arrives. Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you," Dewey gestured to the man he was with, "Children, this is Kit's brother Lemony."

Lemony nodded wordlessly at them. Unlike Dewey, he appeared very dour and reserved despite this cheerful occasion.

Violet reached out to shake the man's hand, "It's nice to meet you, sir; your sister has told us a bit about you."

He shook her hand politely, his stoic eyes softening a tiny bit at her, "The pleasure is all mine, Miss Baudelaire."

"It's good that you could make it," Duncan noted.

"I am not able to stay. I have to get back to work," Lemony said.

"Are you sure, my friend," Dewey asked, "Your niece will be born in a few hours. I know Kit said you'll do whatever you want to, but this is a wonderful moment. Even these kids could be here for us."

Lemony regarded him quietly for a moment before responding, "With all due respect, I must leave now as I do have a train to catch. I'll see you all another day when I'm able. Good day."

The man left without another word on the matter.

"Well, he was charming," Quigley said, sarcastically.

Dewey sighed, "Do forgive my brother-in-law, children. He's been very busy. He and Kit got a chance to see each other today and to her that was more than enough. I have to get back to her now; the doctors say she's almost ready to begin."

"This is going to take a while, everyone, best get comfortable," Jacqueline said.

Everyone found a spot to wait in the lobby while Dewey left. Jacqueline and Larry told them about their newly formed relationship, which they were all happy to hear about. They all found their own separate conversations as they waited.

"Do you think they'll let us babysit sometime," Isadora asked from her seat beside Klaus.

"Possibly," He replied, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I happen to like babies and I thought it'd be nice to help out."

"You like kids?"

Isadora smiled, "Yeah, I've kind of thought about maybe having one myself someday."

Klaus smiled at her, "Interesting..."

He quietly filed that little bit of information away for the future; just in case.

Several long hours went by before Dewey returned to them with a proud smile, "She's here!"

Everyone stood and eagerly followed him to the room. Inside Kit was lying in a bed holding a small bundle in her arms. She looked up at them with a tired smile.

"Hello, children," She said, "Don't just stand there come over here!"

They obeyed and all gathered around her. In her arms was a beautiful little girl who was gazing curiously around at them. She seemed to have her mother's hair, what little there was, and her eyes. The rest of her face appeared to be a mixture between her parents.

"This is Beatrice Snicket," Dewey said, wrapping his arm around his wife and barely holding back a few tears of joy.

"She's so tiny," Fiona said, wiping her eyes behind her glasses.

"Seven pounds, seven ounces," Kit replied.

"Beautiful," Sunny said grinning.

"We're happy you wanted us to be here, Kit," Violet said.

"Congratulations, from all of us," Duncan added, "We brought presents too."

"Oh, thank you all children," Kit said, "That's very kind of you."

Kit ordered them all to wash their hands before allowing each of them to hold little Beatrice. Dewey handed her to Violet first and everyone took a turn holding her for a few moments while Jacqueline and Larry took pictures for them. Duncan and Klaus both cried a bit when it was their turn, as did Isadora, due to her conversation with Klaus earlier. Violet and Klaus helped Sunny hold Beatrice since she was still so young herself. Once everyone had a turn the baby was returned to her mother's arms. Frank arrived shortly after while they were still talking in the room and got a chance to see the baby in person before she was carried off by a doctor to the nursery. Kit thanked them for all the gifts and for being there for them. The children all gave her hugs before they left to return to their school for the night.

Kit sat with her husband in her hospital bed after everyone else had left, beaming with pride and joy, "We did it darling; a beautiful little girl just like we wanted."

"Just like we dreamed, my dear," Dewey replied, holding her close.

Kit sighed contentedly, "The world is quiet here."

 **~End of Chapter**

 **There will be an epilogue don't worry!**


	22. Epilogue

**~Epilogue**

Violet and Duncan announced their engagement at the age of 20.

Justice Strauss would perform the ceremony; which she was more than happy to do for the dear Baudelaires and their amazing friends that she had been introduced to. Dewey, Kit, little Beatrice, and Jerome Squalor were invited to the wedding of course. Fiona convinced her stepfather to attend as well. He apparently wasn't too thrilled about her living on land now, but he didn't want to stop her from being happy. And the rest of the guests were friends from the Baudelaires' and the Quagmires' current work places. Even Jacqueline and Larry attended, in support of the long awaited union of the two families. According to Jacqueline, their parents had hoped their children would marry someday.

The Poe family, however, had been declined invitations for reasons that didn't need to be explained. When Violet had turned 18, she and Mr. Poe finalized the paperwork to sign the fortune over to her, and then ceased all contact with him after that point. They had their money, they had graduated from Whitmore Academy, and they no longer required his services. Mr. Poe did gave the Baudelaires an apology for all the things that had happened; they did not forgive him, but the apology helped them move on. The Quagmire triplets had also gotten their precious sapphires signed over to them from their family's banker, and ceased contact with them as well. Klaus had been moved up in the class, due to his impressive grades, leading him to be able to graduate with Violet and the Quagmires, despite being 16 at the time. Sunny was now old enough to start attending the school officially as well.

They had purchased a large estate just outside the city where they had three houses built. One house was for Duncan and Violet, since they were getting married. The second was for Klaus and Isadora, who wanted to start living alone together. And the third house was for Quigley and Fiona, who had already been living together in an apartment after her graduation; since she was a year older than Violet she had been the first to graduate. The Baudelaires had even kept their promise to the Quagmires and opened their printing business together. Duncan had practically cried when Violet showed him that printing press she built for him. While their original plan had been to buy a full-sized mansion together, they all agreed that with them wanting to settle down with their significant others it was best to live in separate homes. Even if those homes were still situated on the same plot of land.

Duncan chose Klaus as his best man; to which he happily accepted. Isadora was the maid of honor, and Fiona was a bridesmaid. However, Quigley was going to walk Isadora down the aisle. When asking why, Klaus couldn't hold back tears when Violet said she wanted her brother to give her away at the ceremony, due to their father being tragically absent. And with Sunny, now 6 years old, as a flower girl it would be the whole Baudelaire family walking with the beautiful inventor. Duncan had nearly fainted and cried when he saw the woman he loved walking down the aisle in that stunning white dress.

On that wonderful day, everyone cheered as Violet married Duncan Ryan Quagmire, and became Mrs. Violet Roselyn Quagmire.

After Klaus' best man speech, Kit gave a heartfelt speech about how proud their parents would have been on this special occasion. Everyone couldn't help crying when her speech was finished. Violet and Duncan then gave her a public thank you from all of them for helping them get this far. While a majority of the party guests weren't privy to the history the couple had with the woman, due to not being volunteers, they could tell she was someone very important. And on a sadder note, Violet and Duncan gave a small mention in memory of the brave, noble, librarian Olivia Caliban; they did not tell the public how she died, but they did talk about how they also wouldn't have gotten this far without her.

The happy couple shared their first dance to the song "Can't Smile Without You;" it was the song they had danced to the night Duncan proposed, and they considered it their perfect song. Violet danced with Klaus in the place of their father, then shared a dance with Sunny. Duncan danced with both of his siblings to a more upbeat song. Everyone laughed and clapped along as the reunited triplets made fools of themselves on the dance floor. Violet and Isadora even danced together to celebrate becoming sisters-in-law.

When it came time for the bouquet toss, everyone cheered when it was caught by Isadora. She practically squealed with delight and wrapped her arms around Klaus and kissed him. When Violet and Duncan left on their honeymoon to Greece, things settled back into normalcy for a while.

One year later, Klaus and Isadora announced their engagement.

Violet was the maid of honor this time, and Fiona had once again been asked to be a bridesmaid. Justice Strauss was happy to perform another wedding for them. Duncan was chosen as the best man; which sparked a massive argument between him and Quigley over who would get to give their sister away at the ceremony. Duncan was closer to Isadora, since Quigley had been presumed dead for over a year, but Quigley refused to not be able to participate in something as important as this. Violet, Klaus, and Fiona laughed at their pathetic fighting, and Isadora finally silenced it after a week by tearfully saying she wanted _both_ of her brothers to give her away. To which Duncan and Quigley hugged her tightly and cried tears of joy. Duncan and Violet had been married on May 11th the previous year. Klaus and Isadora chose August 10th as their wedding day.

And everyone watched as Isadora married Klaus Bertrand Baudelaire and became Mrs. Isadora Elizabeth Baudelaire. Klaus had cried when he saw Isadora in that lovely dress. And of course their wedding vows were written in the form of couplets. Violet, Fiona, and Sunny squealed with joy, and Duncan and Quigley cried happy tears for their triplet sister and brother-in-law.

Klaus and Isadora shared their first dance to the song "Earth Angel;" they considered it their perfect song. After that, Isadora danced with each of her brothers in the place of her father. She slow danced with Duncan, and danced crazily with Quigley, and afterwards she pulled them into a hug and told them they were the best brothers she could ever ask for. Duncan gave his best man speech, and made sure to include at least one couplet he personally wrote for his sister's special day. Violet, Isadora, and Fiona all shared a crazy dance together that night as well.

Isadora later announced the bouquet toss and everyone gasped as it was caught by Fiona. The mycologist blushed deeply, as Quigley gave her a knowing smirk. Sunny had whined a bit that she wasn't able to catch it, to which Violet and Klaus argued with their sister that she would get her chance someday. Klaus and Isadora chose to spend their honeymoon in France.

A year later, Quigley and Fiona got engaged.

Captain Widdershins was thrilled beyond belief to see his little girl marry the man she loved. It was a remarkably tough decision for Fiona, but in the end, Violet had been chosen as the maid of honor. Duncan was chosen as the best man for his brother. Thankfully, Fernald had been released from jail before the day so he was able to attend; and he might have cried too. They chose March 12th as their wedding day, since it was a week after Fiona's birthday.

Everyone would watch as she married Quigley Mason Quagmire and became Mrs. Fiona Selene Quagmire. And the mycologist couldn't have been happier to not only have a loving husband, but also be accepted into the Baudelaire/Quagmire family officially. Duncan's best man speech consisted of him congratulating his brother on finally settling down with a nice girl instead of his constant dating around that he had done for so long prior.

Quigley and Fiona shared their first dance to the song "I've Got You Under My Skin;" a song they danced to on their first real date, and considered their perfect song. Fiona happily danced with her stepfather and the captain pulled her aside afterwards and told her how proud her mother would have been to see this day. He also told her how proud he was that she had followed her dream to the end; "and without hesitating no less!" Fiona even shared a dance with Violet and Isadora to celebrate becoming sisters-in-law at last.

Everyone laughed when the bouquet was caught by Sunny. The youngest Baudelaire had bragged excitedly and Violet and Klaus could only roll their eyes and respond, "You're only 8, and you're still in school; you'll get your chance when we say you're old enough." Quigley and Fiona chose to spend their honeymoon in Italy.

One year later, Violet, Isadora, and Fiona would all have the same exciting news to share with their husbands.

"We just found out that all three of us are pregnant!"

Duncan, Klaus, and Quigley all had the same reaction: they fainted.

Sometimes life works out in the end; even when it seems like it won't. For no matter how tough life gets, there's always a way to make it better, and all you need is to have a little faith in it. Stay noble, brave, fierce, formidable, selfless, and above all else loyal and even in the most unfortunate events: a happy ending can be achieved.

That statement was never truer in the world than 9 months later when Violet and Duncan had a little girl that they named Nikki Karen Quagmire. She had been loosely named after Violet's favorite inventor, Nikola Tesla, with no objection from Duncan. And her middle name of course had come from her deceased grandmother on her father's side. Everyone agreed the name could be used because she had been born first.

Isadora and Klaus had a little girl that they named Elizabeth Leslie Baudelaire. She had very obviously been named after her mother's middle name. Her middle name came from Klaus' recommendation from a book he had read; Isadora hadn't objected at all. Klaus had secretly promised himself that he would have a child with Isadora after she revealed that she wanted one herself, and now he had been able to honor that promise.

Fiona and Quigley had a little boy that they named Samuel John Quagmire. He had been named after Fiona's deceased mother, Samantha. Quigley was happy to allow it without objection. The middle name had come from her stepfather Captain John Widdershins. The captain had cried tears of joy when he held his grandson in his arms for the first time. Fiona had absolutely made sure that her son got to meet his uncle soon afterwards; and Fernald couldn't have been happier to meet his nephew.

Needless to say, Sunny could not _wait_ to be the best aunt ever.

 **~The End!**

 **This story was so fun to write! I've never updated, and finished a story this fast before! I'm really happy with how it turned out. I hope the baby names at the end were ok, I personally think they sound fine, but I'll let you be the judge of that. Thanks for reading!**


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